Claire the Kind
by Apex Primus
Summary: For over a thousand years, the Amulet of Daylight has chosen the mightiest warriors to become the Trollhunter. However, the newest Trollhunter isn't a warrior or a troll, she's just an ordinary, human girl. Claire didn't know why the amulet chose her, all she did know was that it did, and now she has to fight a millenia-old war to keep two worlds safe. Trollhunter!Claire AU
1. Chosen, Part I

**Most basically, this is just an AU in which Claire was chosen by the Amulet instead of Jim.**

 **The story is probably going to cover all the episodes, maybe add some extra scenes here and there.**

 **There is definitely going to be canon divergence—where, I'm not sure yet.**

 **So, uh, hope you like what I've written.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

Claire Nuñez woke up to the sound of her alarm clock blaring, telling her it was 5:50 AM and she needed to get up. Even though her body protested against leaving the warmth of her bed, she still pulled herself up with a grunt and yawned as she stretched her arms over her head. Then, with a swift smack of her hand, she silenced her alarm and swung her legs over the side of her bed.

Most teens her age might've slipped themselves right back under their covers, but Claire prided herself on being better than the average teenager. Whether that was from being an honors student or simply getting up early, she liked to think of herself as an unstoppable force of nature that not even a bit of drowsiness could stop.

So, with only a slight lag in her step, Claire started her day off. Gathering her clothes for the day, which was just her usual outfit, she crossed the hall and stepped into the bathroom. Then, after brushing her teeth and jumping in the shower, she stepped back out, donned in her favorite turtleneck shirt, leggings, and skirt.

There was only one last step to completing her trademark look, and that was clipping on her assortment of colorful barrettes.

By the time she had gotten downstairs, her parents were already up and at it. Her mom was in her office, typing away at her laptop while talking on the phone—probably speaking with a colleague about approval ratings. Her dad, on the other hand, was sitting in the kitchen, sipping on a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper. Then, there was her baby brother, Enrique, who sat in his suspended seat, bouncing up and down while giggling.

"Good morning, papá," she said and he looked up from his newspaper.

"Good morning, mija."

At the sound of her voice, Enrique turned his eyes to her and he started giggling happily, jumping up higher while clapping his hands. A smile crossed her face, and Claire knelt down to pick him up in her arms.

"Hey, hermanito," she said and Enrique blew a raspberry, prompting her to giggle too. "I love you too."

After putting him back in his seat, Claire poured herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. She spent the rest of her morning munching on her meal and checking social media. Soon enough, she finished and was washing her bowl when her mom came into the kitchen, phone against her ear and purse slung over a shoulder.

"Alright. Alright. Alright, thank you," she said and closed the call. "Alright, dear, let's get a move on. We've got a busy day."

Claire glanced at her dad who groaned as he sat up, setting the newspaper down beside his cup. He straightened his clothes while her mom took Enrique up into her arms, but before they left she spoke up, "Um, mom?"

"Yes, Claire?" She didn't look up from her phone for a solid five seconds. "Is there something you need?"

Even though her mom's tone wasn't cold or hard, it still lacked the warmth that Claire yearned for.

"I, uh... was wondering if you could pick me up later on Thursday?"

Both of her parents scrunched their brows, obviously confused at her request.

"Claire, you know we'll be at work all day."

"I know, I was just-"

"And why do you need to be picked up later?"

Claire looked at them, feeling disappointment sink into the pit of her stomach. "You don't remember?"

Her mom looked down and gave a sigh while her father continued to wear a quizzical face.

"No, I can't say I do."

Claire forced herself not to frown. "Ms. Janeth is starting auditions for Romeo and Juliet on Thursday."

She sighed again and this time Claire didn't stop herself from frowning.

"Claire, are you sure you want to act in this play? You could choose another extracurricular activity to-"

"I'm sure, mom," she said.

Her mom's disappointed gaze lingered on her for a moment, but before Claire could crack from the pressure, her dad stepped in.

"Why don't you and your friends go hang out?" he suggested. "And I'm sure Enrique won't like sitting in my lap the entire day, so we could drop him off with you."

His eyes met her mom's and both of them shared a quiet conversation before her mom relented. "Fine. Just don't get into any trouble while you're out."

Claire smiled and nodded fervently before she glanced at the time on the microwave. It was about five minutes before she was supposed to leave, so she wrapped her arms around her parents and said her goodbyes. A little bit later, she was out the front door, lugging her backpack and checking her phone, and she started her walk to Arcadia Oaks High.

* * *

The sky had brightened significantly by the time Claire reached the canal that separated downtown Arcadia from the suburbs. The cold morning air had warmed up with the warming rays of the newly risen sun, something Claire greatly appreciated as she started crossing the bridge over the canal.

Cars drove by, carrying people to work or school. She glanced at some of them, but most others she ignored in favor of pondering on her growing anxiety. There were going to be a lot of people trying out for the role of Juliet. It was the lead female role in the play. And even though she had practiced and recited for hours the night before, Claire still had her doubts that she might not make the cut.

Her pace slowed then, and she looked down at the ground as she felt a sudden weight drop on her shoulders. Before it could become overbearing, however, a glint of light caught her eye. She looked to her left, down into the canal.

With the lack of a proper rainfall, the canal was dry and devoid of water. Yet, it was not devoid of a pile of stones sitting in the middle of it with something glinting blue in the morning sunlight.

"Huh." Claire squinted her eyes and tried to make out whatever was hidden among the rubble, but she couldn't make it out.

A moment later, she gave up on trying to find out what was down there and walked away.

 _"Claire…."_

Claire jumped and twirled around. Her wide, brown eyes scanned the sidewalk behind her, but no one stood there.

"Is someone there?"

No one answered her.

A second passed, and then a minute before she decided that she was just hearing things. She turned in the direction of Arcadia Oaks High and took a step forward.

 _"Claire... Nuñez…."_

Claire froze and twisted back around, but no one was there still. Her hands tightened on the straps of her backpack and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her eyes darted around, searching for anything that could look like a person or a place where a person could hide.

Okay, this certainly isn't creepy.

She spent some time looking around, but the only thing to catch her eye was the blue glint in the canal.

 _"Claire Nuñez..."_

Claire didn't know what it was that possessed her to walk around the railing. She didn't know what weird and mysterious compulsion pushed her to leave the cement of the sidewalk behind her and step onto the unkept grass. All she knew was that this was a bad idea... but it was also right?

Whatever the case, she quickly found herself standing at the top of the incline leading down the bottom of the canal.

 _"Claire Nuñez."_

"Is someone there?" she called again. "Hello?"

She made her way down cautiously, making sure she wouldn't slip or fall.

"Okay, so this is totally a great idea," Claire mumbled under her breath.

Looking down the canal, she found no one there. Looking beneath the bridge, she saw only shadows. Whether someone was hiding there, she didn't know; and she most certainly didn't want to find out if there was.

Quickly stepping over to the pile of rubble, she walked around it until she found what was glinting in the sunlight. It was something blue and bright, partially hidden by a small slab of stone that she easily pushed aside.

"Hmm," Claire hummed as she picked it up and looked it over. "It's a... medallion? ...An amulet?"

She might've stood there for hours on end, examining the strange amulet, had she not thought about using the amulet in the play and then suddenly connecting the play to the fact that she was supposed to be on her way to school.

So, pocketing the amulet in her backpack, she started back on the path to Arcadia Oaks High.

* * *

Claire was an honors student, beloved by practically all the teachers at school for her work ethic. So, it was almost unheard of, of her getting anything less than an A. Yet, as she sat in World History with Mr. Strickler talking about the Peloponnesian War and the three individual wars that made it up, Claire could only think about her strange find earlier in the day.

Thankfully, she didn't need to sneak out her phone for a quick search on the internet. The school was well-funded enough to supply the class with laptops for their research, which Claire delightfully used to look up anything concerning talking amulets.

Typically, all the search results were about toys; one of them turning out to be a plushy. She tried inserting 'real' and 'silver' into the search engine, but nothing came up that was remotely close to the real, silver amulet sitting in her backpack.

She was in the middle of looking up 'real silver talking amulets that glint blue' when a head of black hair leaned into her face.

"Whatcha' lookin' at, C-Bomb?" Mary Wang asked and Claire shot her an annoyed look.

The Asian-American girl shot back a playful smirk at her to which Claire rolled her eyes.

"Just some stuff," she vaguely answered.

The answer was insufficient, but thankfully, Mary didn't get a chance to push the subject. Just then, Mr. Strickler's voice raised and Claire looked over to the older man who stood beside a boy in a blue jacket. "Wouldn't you agree?"

Eyes turned to the boy and the teacher, unbeknownst to her classmate who innocently asked, "Sir?"

"With Herodotus' opinion on his tactics of war, as I've described."

"Oh, uh…."

It was clear as day that he didn't know the answer, and Claire watched curiously to see how he would save face. It was almost like watching a comedy bit.

"Absolutely," the boy answered vaguely, and she was pretty sure he tried flashing a confident smile.

Tragically, however, Mr. Strickler saw right through him and fired back immediately. "Excellent. Which tactics, specifically?"

 _Ooh. How's he gonna answer?_

"The, uh… winning ones?"

Okay, that was worth a little laughter, which Claire gladly gave along with the rest of the class just as the bell rang.

Mr. Strickler called out a reading assignment as they packed up their belongings—which she filed away mentally. Soon, she was out in the hall with Mary on her right and Darci Scott on her left. Usually, they'd be chatting about something like grades, classes, social woes, or Mary's newest boyfriend, but today Mary was keen on trying to get Claire to answer why she was, for once, not paying attention in class.

"So, you gonna tell us what you were looking up?"

Claire groaned and rolled her eyes while Darci looked on quizzically.

"What happened?" she asked, having been on the other side of the room.

"Claire was looking at toys instead of at the poly-plennesian war."

Claire only cringed a little bit at how her friend had butchered that name.

"It's the Peloponnesian War," Claire corrected, "and I was just looking at… toys… for Enrique."

Both girls shared an uncertain look, but they bought her excuse, thankfully. She really didn't want to explain how she was hearing voices by the canal and found a weird amulet in a pile of rocks. And thank God that the mentioned amulet wasn't calling her name anymore. If it was she would've dumped it in a trashcan hours ago.

"Well, that's cool," Mary accepted and glanced at a poster for the upcoming play. "You nervous about auditions Wednesday?"

 _Finally, something I want to talk about._

"Yeah, just a little," she confessed and Darci nudged her with her elbow.

"Ah, come on, Claire. You'll do great."

She flashed a smile and Claire reciprocated it, feeling the warmth of friendship blossom inside of her. Maybe her parents didn't fully support her, but at least her friends did. Though… would they support her if she talked about the amulet?

* * *

A little later in gym class, Claire met the boy with the blue jacket again. She, Darci, and Shannon Longhannon were sitting on the bleachers, resting after their climb up the ropes. Claire had brought out her binder and stack of flyers, planning on sticking some up in the gym after class—with Coach Lawrence's permission, of course. While they were waiting for the rest of the class to get through with their exercises, Darci had set her phone on top of the flyers and played a funny video she'd found yesterday.

They were in the middle of giggling when that boy from World History strode over.

"Buenas noches," he greeted and she blinked.

Claire hadn't known anyone who actively spoke Spanish outside of the classroom, and the guy certainly didn't look like someone who grew up speaking it.

"You speak Spanish?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

For whatever reason, he blushed and made to answer her, but stammered lamely instead. They gave him some weird looks before Darci sighed, obviously unimpressed.

"Come on, Claire," she said and got up.

While she and Shannon walked off, giggling at their classmate's expense, Claire stayed and offered the guy a pitying look. He could certainly work on his acting skills… and speaking of acting actually.

"Do you like Shakespeare?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Do you like Shakespeare?" she repeated.

"Shakespeare?" he repeated hesitantly.

"The school play," Claire elaborated and handed him a flyer off of the binder she was carrying. "We're having trouble getting boys to audition."

He scanned over the flyer quickly, his face holding an unsure expression. When he tried to answer her, he stammered again and she frowned. Giving him one final look, she tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear and walked off after her friends, mentally crossing her fingers in the hope that she'd actually gotten a guy to try out.

* * *

She found Darci and Shannon in the locker room, switching out of their gym clothes. Claire followed suit, and the three of them giggled about the boy's rather lackluster attempt at speaking to them while they changed into their usual outfits.

By the time Darci and Shannon were ready to go, Claire was slipping on her jacket when she thought she heard something. She twisted around, briefly spying a shadow in the mist pouring out of the showers. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled a can of mace from her bag.

She would've called to Darci and Shannon if she wasn't worried about scaring off whoever might have been spying on them. Her search through the locker room proved to be fruitless, however, and she left empty-handed. Although, that lingering feeling of being watched stayed with her until she was outside and heading to her dad's car, parked alongside the curb.

The drive home was relatively silent, with her on her phone and her dad watching the road. The only conversation they had was when her dad told her that he and her mother were going out to attend a meeting, and they would be taking her baby brother with them. So, that left her all alone for the night. It wasn't anything unusual, so she just nodded her head and muttered "alright" and "okay" whenever he asked something of her.

So, later that night, she was laying down in the living room in her socks, trying to keep herself entertained.

She'd finished all her homework and practiced her lines for the auditions Wednesday, and she'd browsed social media for a couple of minutes, but that had quickly become boring. So, with nothing else to do, Claire chose to look over the weird, talking amulet again.

Tossing it around, she watched it glow and flash blue, all the while wondering how it could possibly do so. There wasn't any cover for some battery slots, and she didn't think there was any other way to make silver shine blue.

 _Maybe it's magic?_

She furrowed her brow and sat up, the thought perking up a whole new string of ideas in her mind. If it really was magic, then that would explain the whole 'mysterious voice calling her name' when she had found the amulet.

 _Okay, so now I'm just thinking crazy. Magic isn't real… right?_

Her hands gripped the amulet tightly and she narrowed her eyes as she examined the strange inscriptions along the rim.

"Come on, do something. You talked to me earlier," she said aloud. Yet, the amulet did nothing but glint in the light of the lamp next to her. "Great. Now I'm talking to an inanimate object."

Claire leaned back against the couch and sighed. "Maybe I'm just too stressed ou-"

Suddenly, she was interrupted by clattering coming from her back door. Squeaking, she jumped up immediately, startled and then frightened as a hundred, brief ideas of what that might've been ran through her head. In the end, she decided that it was probably some raccoons, or maybe even some foxes. Either way, she headed towards the backdoor, grabbing a broom out of the hall closet on her way there.

"Alright. You got this, Claire."

Unlocking the door, Claire swung it open and jumped back, broom held at the ready. Strangely, there was nothing outside but the dead of night. Scrunching her brow, she frowned and closed the door.

"Great, and now you're hearing things outside of your house," she muttered and walked back to the hall closet.

However, just as she passed by the kitchen, she heard a dull ring and caught a flash of blue in the dark.

"What on Earth?" she mumbled, flicking the lights on and stepping towards the island counter where the amulet sat. "How did- Did I- What?"

Claire picked it up and held it high, watching the blue glow brighten and dim steadily, almost like a heartbeat.

And then, she heard the backdoor open with a click.

She dropped the amulet, her body freezing up as her blood ran cold as the realization hit her that she'd forgotten to lock the door. By the time she twirled back around, there were six, large eyes staring at her.

"Master Claire!"

Claire screamed. She screamed the most high-pitched, terrified scream that she'd ever screamed in her entire life as she backpedaled a few steps and slipped on the fallen amulet. Her head hit the ground in an instant and the last thing she saw before the lights went out were those six eyes and a second pair staring down at her.

* * *

 **Hope you liked that first chapter.**

 **If you want to know, most of what I've written is inspired by fan art of Trollhunter!Claire from Pie-Hell on Tumblr and 'I am no** **man' by 'smol_water_witch' on AO3.**

 **Go check out their stuff, it's pretty awesome.**

 **Favorite and Follow to keep updated, and leave a comment if you've got a compliment or some constructive criticism to give.**

 **I'll probably update every other day, maybe every two days.**

 **Hopefully I can keep a schedule for that.**

 **Anyways, see you around.**


	2. Chosen, Part II

**Well, the feedback from Chapter 1 was pretty positive.**

 **So, here's Chapter 2, two days later on the schedule that I hope I can keep up.**

 **In other news: Trollhunters Part 3 drops tomorrow!**

 **And after getting hyped over and watching Avengers: Infinity War, I'm hoping this** **finale is gonna tear me apart all the same.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys have a good read.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

"I think she's waking up."

Claire groaned groggily. Her head felt like someone had tried to smoosh her brain with their bare hands.

"Wonderful!"

She cringed at the shout, her head pounding as she tried blinking a couple time to clear her vision. It took a minute for her eyes to fully adjust, but when they did her first thought was why everything was upside down. "What's… happening?"

Just then, a large, blue head with six-eyes and a giant, red nose popped into view. "Master Claire!"

Claire screamed. Again.

Her eyes darted up her body—or, down her body—at the huge, stone hand holding her by her legs. A big, bearded and horned head stared down at her with a toothy smile. "Hi."

She yelped and hid her face behind her hands.

 _What's going on? This is a dream, right? Please be a dream!_

Her mind was racing and she her vision was getting blurry again. The blood was rushing straight down into her head and her breathing was becoming erratic.

 _I-I'm gonna die, aren't I? Oh my God, I'm going to die!_

Claire trembled in the hulking monster's grasp as it pulled her up higher. "Blinky, she looks scared."

Claire peeked out between her fingers at the hulking monster and took in its rather concerned look. Then, mustering up her courage, she asked, "P-P-Put me down, p-please."

Quickly, and rather deftly, Claire was handled between the hulking monster's hands until she was standing right-side up. Though, she stumbled back from the suddenness of being set down like that. She met a fur-covered chest, however, and then felt one of those huge hands gently pat her on the head.

She might've gotten flustered over the affectionate action, but right now her mind was too preoccupied with the two monsters cornering her in her own home. Which, the more eloquent of the two decided then it introduce itself, "Greetings, Master Claire. I am known as Blinky."

Three of its arms were tucked behind its back, while the fourth was laid against its chest. The six-eyed monster bowed slightly and she blinked, her face contorting in confusion and uncertainty.

 _What is even happening right now? This is still a dream, right?_

"It's Aaarrrgghh," the hulking monster behind her piped up then. "Three R's."

 _This has got to be a dream._

Claire glanced at Aaarrrgghh, and then at Blinky. Her eyes bounced between them for a minute, taking in the similarities and differences. Both of them looked like they were made of stone, and both had horns topping their heads. Though, Blinky had a more upright posture and Aaarrrgghh was hunched over on his fists. They both had an underbite, with their bottom canines jutting out from between their lips.

"I- What?"

"Master Claire, you have been chosen!" Blinky claimed. "The Amulet of Daylight challenges you to ascend to the most sacred of offices!"

Claire blinked.

"Orifices?" Aaarrrgghh suddenly said. "What orifices?"

"Offices," Blinky corrected, his four hands clasped together in pairs. "It means responsibility."

Once again, Claire bounced her eyes between the two of them. She wore an incredulous expression, her mind confuddled as she tried to make sense of how she had been in the middle of the most terrifying nightmare in her life to now standing between two… things that were just sharing petty banter.

"Now, Master Claire." She perked up and looked at Blinky. "Unbeknownst to your kind, there is a secret world, a vast civilization of trolls lurking beneath your very feet, hidden from view."

"Tr-Trolls?" she said, repeating the word to try and make it sound more sensible.

"Trolls! Yes, trolls!" Blinky said jovially. "And it is now your charge to protect them!"

"Bu-"

"For you are the Trollhunter!"

Claire yelped in surprise.

"Trollhunter!" Aaarrrgghh repeated.

"This honor is yours to accept! So, what say you?"

Claire opened her mouth to speak, but she lost the words she found immediately, so she closed her mouth. She did that a couple of times, looking like a fish out of water before she made a clear, mental decision on this turn of events.

 _Nope._

And then she fainted.

* * *

Claire woke up to a hand touching her forehead. She groaned groggily and blinked away the harsh light of the living room.

"What's… going on?"

"Claire!"

Her dad's hand left her forehead and it touched her arm gently. Claire looked at him, and then at her mom who had ceased her pacing nearby. Meanwhile, Enrique, whom her mom held, had stopped wailing to stare at her with his wide, brown eyes.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright," her mom said, kneeling down beside the couch that Claire lay on. "What happened, Claire?"

"What?"

"What happened to you, mija?" her dad asked and gave her arm a light squeeze. "We came home and you were unconscious on the kitchen floor."

"I- Uh… Well..."

Her brow furrowed as she tried recalling what had happened, but the only things she could remember was a noise and investigating the backdoor, then… the amulet.

As if it had somehow heard her thoughts, the amulet gave a soft, blue glow on the table behind her parents. Her eyes bugged out and she gasped as it all came back to her: Blinky. Aaarrrgghh. Trolls. And the Trollhunter… her.

"Mija?"

Claire looked up at her dad, and then at her mom.

 _Oh, God, what do I tell them?_

"Are you actually feeling alright?" her mother asked, her mouth set in a frown.

"I, uh… Yeah," she blurted out. "Yes. I was just… uh, walking when I… slipped."

She looked down at her sock-clad feet and wiggled her toes, feeling the fabric stretch. Her parents looked down at them too, and they both frowned.

 _Please, believe me._

"Claire," her mom said firmly, disappointment bleeding into her tone, "this is exactly why I told you not to slide around in your socks."

Claire managed to crack a small smile and give a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I know, mom."

Both her parents sighed, but while her dad stayed seated, her mom stood up.

"Do you think you'll feel better, or should we call you out of school tomorrow?"

"No, I feel fine."

She wasn't lying about that either. What pain she had felt while being held upside down by Aaarrrgghh was practically gone, only a dull feeling remaining in the back of her head.

Her mom handed Enrique over to her dad, and then she crossed her arms. Her eyes looked over Claire, and then she gave another sigh.

"Alright, but I want you to go to the infirmary immediately if you feel like throwing up."

Claire managed a small smile as her mother walked out of the room, heading to her office. Her dad, then, got up too and went to grab some painkillers for her. A little bit later, he helped her up to her room—but not before she had pocketed the Amulet of Daylight.

She didn't fall asleep when her dad left her in her bed, however. Her mind ran rampant with everything she'd learned, and the only time she wasn't stuck in her thoughts was when she was jumping at the shadows, frightened that Blinky or Aaarrrgghh somehow managed to keep themselves hidden in her bedroom. Neither of the trolls actually made an appearance, though, and she was left to curl up beneath her blankets, trying to make sense of this strange, new world she'd found herself in.

* * *

Tuesday started out rough, and it only got worse throughout the day.

Claire woke up late, having stayed up all night trying to cope with the knowledge that trolls were real and they lived right beneath her feet. Her alarm clock had been blaring in her ear for about ten minutes when she finally registered its buzzing. Upon pouring herself a bowl of cereal, she'd found her parents gone and the time on the microwave far past the time she had needed to leave.

Then, by the time she had actually reached school, her legs had been on fire and her lungs had been burning up. Darci was gracious enough to hand her a water bottle before Tuesday classes started— _thank God_ —but Mary had been shooting her questions about her disheveled appearance nonstop. She'd manage to avoid most of the questions, but the rest she had to give vague answers to. She really wasn't in the mood to explain that two trolls had broken into her house and named her their new champion, or whatever.

Besides having her friends hound her for answers, she'd also had to deal with spacing out in class and jumping at every shadow that was big enough to fit a troll in—which there were surprisingly a lot of. Her teachers had been concerned, of course, and she'd just blamed it on memorizing her lines for auditions Thursday. Of course, being the honors student she was, they gave her some leeway.

However, being an honors student didn't mean she knew how to finish the homework they had given her. So, she'd spent an hour or so reading and reviewing her textbooks before going back to her homework. By the time she'd finished, the sun had set and she grew increasingly more afraid of seeing six-eyes staring at her through a window.

Thankfully, she wasn't alone in the house tonight. Her parents had decided to stay home for once, instead of going to a meeting. So, for the rest of the night, Claire concerned herself with memorizing her lines for her audition downstairs—just incase Blinky or Aaarrrgghh could climb up to her bedroom window. Although, she had to pay for safety in numbers with her mom telling her to keep it down while she was on the phone and her dad snoring in the living room.

So, here she was, trying to remember Act III, Scene II from Romeo and Juliet.

"Give me my Romeo. And when I shall die, take him and cut out the stars." Claire glanced at the script on the counter and frowned. "And cut _him out in little stars_."

Taking a seat, she scooted up to the counter and started rereading again. Though, Claire didn't get far before she noticed a soft, blue glow out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she found the amulet sitting in a basket of fruits. She blinked, uncertain if she was hallucinating or not. After a minute of staring, though, it became pretty obvious that the amulet really was there.

"Um… Hi," she said and inched towards the counter. "How did you… Wait…."

Memories of last night resurfaced again, and she looked at the backdoor, almost expecting six-eyes to be looking right back at her. Yet, Blinky was not standing out there, and she was alone.

 _Okay, this is just getting a whole lot weirder._

Picking up the amulet, she scanned it for the hundredth time. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary on it—well, out of the ordinary for something completely out of the ordinary. However, Claire couldn't shake the sneaking suspicion that she was missing something.

Jewelry didn't just walk on their own. Someone had to have put it there... could it have been Blinky? Aaarrrgghh?

Claire shook her head. There wasn't any possible way that they had been able to evade both her and her family to place the amulet amongst apples, oranges, and bananas. Still though...

"Hmm," she hummed and walked towards the backdoor, amulet in hand.

After casting a glance down the hall to see if her parents would folllow, she stepped outside. Claire looked up at the waning daylight and then at the swaying trees. She glanced at the shadows, searching for a four-armed troll hiding behind something tall or a hulking, fur-covered troll hiding behind something big. She walked further into the yard as she searched, but in the end, she found nothing.

Tick.

Well, almost nothing.

Claire shot her eyes down to the amulet, and she lifted it up into the air. Her eyes widened as the interior glowed blue and the gears within it began to spin, rotating and rolling as the two hands twirled like the hands of a clock gone haywire.

"Whoa."

Along the rim, the faint inscriptions began to shine with the same ethereal blue light. The rim spun and Claire blinked several times as the characters switched from some mysterious, foreign language to eligible, English letters.

"For the glory of Merlin… Daylight is mine to command?"

It all happened so suddenly then. The world winded down to a quiet stop before it burst into sudden action. The wind howled and the trees waved as leaves danced in the air. The fence around her backyard trembled and shook, clattering against each other as the cloudy sky suddenly became clear.

Claire barely noticed it all happening as she continued to stared at the amulet, watching its ethereal blue glow shine and then blaze like a fire.

 _Whoa._

There were no words to describe the awe and wonder she felt in that moment; and there were none for the next moment when the blazing, ethereal blue fire burst out from the amulet.

Claire watched it float in front of her, like some kind of fairy. It flew around her before it, without warning, shot into her chest.

She gasped as it sank into her heart, and she tried making sense of the sensations that suddenly flooded her body. It was like having euphoria wash over her and serenity flood through her. It was… It was amazing and magical and she didn't know what other words could possibly describe it all.

She barely noticed the flurry of other balls of light that suddenly spawned and shot into her chest; sinking into her heart like the first. The sensations within her magnified and it was like she was floating in the heavens.

Claire blinked and registered the fact that she was actually floating.

Ethereal blue light was blazing from her chest, pouring out from her heart and spawning smoky wisps that fluttered around her, leaving glittery trails in their wake.

She should've been scared. She should've been downright terrified and calling for help because some weird, talking amulet was holding her captive in the air with its magic. Yet, she wasn't.

Instead, she was in awe. She was completely and utterly enchanted by everything happening around her. It was just so... magical and fantastical.

Then, suddenly, with brief flashes of light, pieces of shining armor materialized over her body. The sight stole her breath away and Claire could only watch as they came together in an instant.

She was dropped back onto the ground then, the metal ringing pleasantly. Though, she couldn't see past the collar of the chest plate. Uncertainty and a bit of fear struck her then, and she gave a small yelp. However, not a second later, a faint hum filled the air and though she could not see it, she could certainly feel the armor shrinking to match her size.

Soon enough, Claire stood tall with the armor fitted to her slim figure. She blinked and breathed and clenched a gauntleted hand that had been too big for her to even stick her fingers a moment before.

"This is… wow," she breathed in wonder.

Without warning, the amulet—now seated over her heart on the chest plate—shot out another flurry of balls of light.

They flew down into her right hand and sank into her palm, just as the ones before had sunk into her chest. Then, a massive sword grew from nothing.

"Wh-Whoa!" she cried out as the weight of the weapon forced it to hit the ground.

It shrunk like her armor, though, and with just a little bit of effort, she managed to lift it up.

 _"You are the Trollhunter!"_

Claire breathed in as Blinky's words rung in her head. Shouldering her weapon, she struck a pose and grew a small smile as she thought about the looks on her friends' faces when they saw this.

"Trollhunter, huh?"

* * *

 **And now, Claire has donned her armor.**

 **The Call to Adventure has come, but will she answer?**

 **Time will tell, and by that I mean two to three days from now when I upload Chapter 3.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Follow and Favorite to stay updated, and post a review if you want to share your thoughts, whether that be** **compliments or constructive criticism.**

 **Hope you all have a wonderful day/night and get to enjoy Part 3 tomorrow!**


	3. Friends Tell Friends Everything

**Alright, so, this is actually a really late update.**

 **I'm really sorry about that, but I got bogged down with long work shifts and I kinda rewrote this chapter about three times.**

 **Anyways, I'll just let you at it.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters**

* * *

While Tuesday had been like treading in rough waters, Wednesday had been nothing but smooth sailing for Claire. She'd actually paid attention in class this time, taking in everything her teachers taught and jotting down notes diligently. School flew by quickly, all of it almost a blur to her, and soon enough the day was over.

So, here she was, hurriedly stuffing her backpack with the textbooks in her locker. Both Darci and Mary were planning on catching a ride with her dad. The three of them were going to do some school work together tonight, ranging from Mr. Uhl's Spanish homework to their World History assignments from Mr. Strickler. Unbeknownst to her friends, though, she was planning on showing them more than what was in the textbooks.

Pushing the last book into her backpack and zipping it shut, Claire hoisted it onto her back and turned around to come face-to-face with the boy with the blue jacket.

They stared at each other for a moment, stunned at the sudden eye contact, but then the boy managed to flash a smile. "Buenas noches, Claire."

She raised an eyebrow and he tried acting like some kind of suave jock from a cliche, high school movie, switching from leaning against the lockers to having his hands on his hips before going back to just standing straight with arms at his sides. His antics were strange, but they were pretty funny, so she cracked a smile.

"Buenas noches, uh… John, right?" she asked.

"Um, Jim. Actually," he corrected, his face red.

"Oh, sorry," she apologized and he gave a smile. "So, Jim, was there something you needed?"

He looked at her quizzically for a moment before he seemed to remember why he was there.

"Oh, uh, yeah… I, er- Well, I was… wondering if you knew when the, um… auditions were?"

 _Auditions? He's actually auditioning?_

For a moment, Claire looked at him, eyes wide and surprise written all over her face. However, she felt joy blossom in her heart and the surprise on her face was replaced with hope.

"You're auditioning?" she asked, jubilantly.

Jim rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks flushing red again, but he nodded, nonetheless.

"That's great!" Claire said. "Auditions are tomorrow, after school in the auditorium. You've still got that flyer I gave you, right?"

"Yeah, I've got it at home."

She smiled. "Great. See you there."

"Y-Yeah, see you there," Jim said, cracking a smile of his own.

With that, she waved him goodbye and walked away, leaving him standing there as she did a miniature celebration inside.

Nothing could ruin today.

* * *

"Hola, Mary," Claire spoke, barely hiding her amusement as Mary chewed on her pencil and followed along on a pre-written script. "Como estás?"

"Uh… I am muy bueno- buena! Very buena!"

Darci snorted and Claire laughed, and even Enrique—who her parents had left her with—giggled while clapping his hands.

She and her girlfriends sat in a loose circle on her bedroom floor, currently working on helping Mary with her Spanish. An hour ago, her parents had left, leaving Claire with the house all to herself. They delightfully used that opportunity to blast some Papa Skull in the background—although, not so loud as to frighten Enrique.

"You guys are the worst," Mary said, crossing her arms and huffing.

Darci grinned and nudged her. "And together, we're terrible."

Mary smiled just a bit, and that was enough to get her to start giggling with them. Claire watched them share their joy, and she reveled in the laughter that echoed in her bedroom. These were always her favorite moments, when she and her girlfriends could just mess around without the burden of grades or parents weighing on them.

 _Speaking of burdens…._

Glancing down, she fished the Amulet from her pocket and watched it for a moment. She almost expected it to start blasting magic and zap her. Yet, it remained docile, just glowing faintly in her hand.

"Claire?"

She looked over at her friends, both of which were staring at her. "Huh?"

"You alright, C-Bomb?" Mary asked. "You look distracted."

"Uh…." She smiled nervously. "I, um… Well, you see…." Claire glanced at the Amulet again, then swallowed. Hard. "I've… got something to tell you guy-"

She was cut off by a racket from downstairs. Their eyes went to her door immediately, and Claire gulped. Her parents were gone; sitting in a meeting in town hall. So, who was downstairs?

 _Oh, God, please don't let it be who I think it is._

"What was that?" Mary asked, getting up with Darci.

"Uh, maybe it was Sombra?" Claire crossed her fingers behind her back in some hope that it really was just her cat knocking something over. "You know how my cat can be."

Her friends shared a look and shrugged.

"Yeah," Darci agreed, "I guess she can be pretty wild-"

A distinct, feline yelp echoed through her house then, along with a very eloquent, very familiar voice. "Let Master Claire's feline go, Aaarrrgghh!"

Claire paled. "Oh no."

She was up and throwing open her door before Mary or Darci could ask her what was wrong. Racing down the hall and then down the stairs, she made her way towards the kitchen. Sliding to a halt in the kitchen threshold, she found Blinky angrily waving his four arms at a Aaarrrgghh who had her cat, Sombra, held by the scruff.

They didn't notice her immediately, standing there with hands holding her head and mouth gaping. They did notice her, though, when she shouted, "What are you doing!"

Eight eyes—six from Blinky and a pair from Aaarrrgghh—looked at her. Blinky threw his arms into the air and cried out, "Master Claire! Er-..."

He trailed off and his arms fell with his smile. The sound of a phone hitting the ground behind her echoed through the house. Claire grimaced and turned around, finding both Darci and Mary standing there.

Claire laughed nervously. "I, uh… I can explain."

Neither of them said anything, and neither of them did anything either. They just stared in shock at the two trolls in her kitchen. She waved a hand in front of them. "Um, guys?"

They blinked. Then, they screamed.

"Oh my God!"

"Run- Mmf!"

Claire flinched as Mary tried to scramble out of the kitchen, but ended up slamming face-first into a wall. She ended up splayed out on the floor, unconscious while Darci darted out of the kitchen and down the hall.

"Darci!" she called after her, but she was already in her mom's office.

"Aaarrrgghh! Put Sombra down!" she commanded, pointing a finger at the ground. "Now!"

The hulking troll gave a guilty look before obeying, setting the gray feline on the floor where it screeched and ran off. Claire watched her cat flee before looking down at Mary. Crouched over her, she looked her friend over and sighed in relief when she found no blood. Then, she turned towards the trolls, anger evident on her face and in her voice. "What are you doing in my house?"

Blinky visibly gulped before he cleared his throat and answered, "I apologize, Master Claire, but I had no idea you had company over. This is a travesty!"

"Oh, you think?"

"No, I know," he said, hitting his palm with a fist, completely unaware of the sarcasm in her voice. "We must silence your companions before they reveal the existence of our kind to your own! Stop there, human!"

Blinky pointed a finger down the hall and Claire followed it to an afro-topped head peeking from around the corner of her mom's office. The moment Darci saw them looking at her, though, she yelped and hid.

"Darci!" she called and went after her, dragging Mary with her.

After laying Mary down in a chair, she searched the room for her other best-friend. She found Darci hiding behind her mom's desk, frantically calling her dad… Oh no.

"Daddy, there are monsters at Claire's house-"

Claire swiped the phone out of her hands before she could say anymore. Darci was stunned for a moment, and Claire used that moment to interrupt her plea for help.

"Hi, Detective Scott," she greeted, nonchalantly. "How's it going?"

"Claire?" Darci's dad questioned on the other end of the call. "What's going on? Why did Darci call me? She sounded scared."

"No, she's fine," Claire said, holding off Darci's frantic attempts at reclaiming her phone. "We're just… taking a break and watching a scary movie."

"Claire!" Darci screeched.

"Uh, sorry. Gotta go, bye!"

"Wait-"

She ended the call just as Darci crawled on top of her, ripping the phone out of her hands.

"Claire!" she hissed. "Why would you do that- Ah!"

Darci shrieked at the sight of Aaarrrgghh peering over the desk.

"Darci! Darci! It's okay, he won't hurt you." She shot her a reassuring smile. "Right, Aaarrrgghh?"

The hulking troll hummed and nodded his head, giving a gentle smile the whole time.

"Argh?" Darci repeated quizzically.

"No. _Aaarrrgghh_ ," the troll corrected and held up three fingers. "Three R's."

"O-Okay."

Claire watched her friend study Aaarrrgghh, the fear she'd shown now replaced with curiosity. Soon, her tears had dried up and her pale face had gotten its color back as she slowly rose up from behind the desk.

And then Blinky spoke up. "Wonderful! Now that, that catastrophe has been prevented, we must swear your companion into silence. Or perhaps we could just place a rune of silence on her."

He rubbed his chin in thought while she dropped her jaw in shock. He was seriously considering harming her friends?

"What? No!" she cried. "Absolutely not! You are not hurting my friends!"

Blinky was taken back by her outburst, stumbling back with shock on his face now. Yet, he recovered quickly and said, "Hurt them? We would not dream of doing so, Master Claire. We merely wish to ensure that they reveal nothing of what they have witnessed tonight."

"Why?" she asked and Darci, who still hid beside her, nodded in agreement.

"Master Claire," he said and gestured at Aaarrrgghh and himself, "we trolls have gone to great lengths to keep our existence secret from you kind, lest there be panic."

Then, he gestured at Darci, "Which you have already seen tonight with the reactions of both your companions."

Darci looked at him, and then at her. Claire stared back, unsure of what to do. She couldn't just kick her friends out and make them swear to forget everything that had literally just happened. She'd already gone through her own day-long breakdown yesterday, and she didn't want either of them to go through the same thing.

"I trust them," Claire said then, taking a resolute stance with arms crossed over her chest and voice filled with confidence. "They're my best friends. They wouldn't tell anyone about this. Right, Darci?"

She looked at her afro-headed friend still peering from behind the desk. Darci looked back and then turned her eyes to both trolls standing on the other side of the furniture. After a moment, she nodded and said, "I-I won't tell. I promise. And we could probably convince Mary that this was just a drea-"

Darci was cut off as Mary woke up then, groaning and touching her bruised forehead tentatively. "Ow. Ugh, my head."

Blinking, she looked at Claire, then at Darci, and then looked at the two trolls standing on either side of her. Mary froze immediately, her eyes wide with shock and terror. For a moment, no one moved. They just stayed still and silent, waiting for someone else to make the first move.

"Oh, my God!" Mary shrieked and shrunk into her seat.

Claire sighed and held forehead. "So, that's Mary Wang, she's one of my best friends." Then, she gestured at her other girl behind her mom's desk. "And that's Darci Scott, one of my other best friends."

"We're going to die!"

Claire slumped her shoulders and groaned as Blinky scoffed.

"Hardly," he said. "Your friend is the Trollhunter. Her noble obligation is protective."

All the girls in the room blinked and then two of them looked at Claire. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked away.

"Protective?" Darci asked aloud. "Like, protection? Like, the police?"

"No, not exactly," he said, rubbing his chin. "More like a champion, of sorts."

"So, like… a superhero?" Mary asked, finally relaxing into her seat.

"Superwhat?"

"Nevermind," Claire interjected and met Blinky's gaze. "So, wait, I'm supposed to be protecting something?"

"Us," Aaarrrgghh answered.

"And Mankind," Blinky added. "From bad trolls. As well as goblins, gruesomes, and the occasional rogue gnome."

Claire blinked, and then took a seat in her mom's chair.

 _Bad trolls? Goblins? Gruesomes? Rogue gnomes?_

"The mantle of Trollhunter is a sacred responsibility, one which has never been passed to a human before," Blinky continued, walking up to her until he stood over her. "This is a momentous occasion."

Claire looked at him, unsure of what to say. What could she say? How was she supposed to react to apparently being the protector of an entire, secret race of trolls.

Thankfully, she didn't need to say anything, because in that moment, Darci's phone rang. Everyone stared at it buzzing on the floor until Darci picked it up.

"I-It's my dad," she said, eyes wide and fear on her face. "Wh-What do I tell him?"

"Tell him what I told him," Claire said.

"That's not going to work!"

"Well what else can we tell him?"

"Uh," Mary sounded from behind them and they looked to her, "what did you tell him?"

"We were watching a scary movie," Claire answered.

"Uh, yeah, C-Bomb, that's not gonna work."

"Right?"

"Guys!" Claire hissed.

"Here, give me that," Mary said, striding over in an instant and swiping the phone out of Darci's hand. "Hello? Hey, Detective Scott."

Everyone watched her stand there, holding the phone up to her ear as she spoke with Darci's dad. What fear and terror had petrified her earlier had all but disappeared from her as she checked her nails and feigned a casual voice. "Darci's doing alright, she's just in the bathroom… What do you mean Darci called you? We're watching a movie, that's like, breaking rule one of movie watching etiquette."

Claire stifled a giggle as her friend continued to speak. "She sounded scared? Well, yeah, it's a scary movie, sir." Thought there was amusement on her face, it all drained within an instant a second later. "What! No. No. No, you don't have to come over and pick her up."

Both Darci and her stared at their friend with alarm as she frantically tried to ward off the former's dad.

"Oh, you, uh, you know what?" Mary said then, laughing nervously under her breath. "I think she actually… uh, butt-dialed you." Darci shot her a look and Mary shot it back. "Y-Yeah, we were just, um…. reenacting one of the scenes from the movie, because, uh… Claire wanted extra practice before auditions tomorrow." Claire shot her a look this time. Mary shot that back at her too. "Yeah, she's nervous and stuff. You know how teenage girls are… Um, yeah, I'll tell her you called… Alright, goodbye."

With that, she ended the call. Claire watched and listened as Mary let loose a heavy sigh, letting the stress vent out as Darci crushed her in a hug. "You guys so owe me."

"You got it, girlfriend," Claire said and nudged her with her elbow.

"Alright… so, what's all this with the Trollhunter stuff again?"

Claire looked to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, hoping they had an answer. The former of the two, however, simply gestured at her.

"Master Claire," he said, "perhaps it is best if you show them the Amulet. That is, if you truly do trust them."

Within her right, pant pocket, she felt the Amulet hum. She glanced down at it, and then at Darci and Mary.

 _Alright, now it's really now or never._

"Okay," she breathed and dug the Amulet out. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she began to explain, "So… I found this-" she held the Amulet up. "-in the canal on my way to school Monday. And yesterday… well…."

She brought the Amulet close and scanned over the inscriptions on the rim. They remained translated in English.

"For the glory of Merlin," she said aloud and the Amulet's ethereal glow brightened, "Daylight is mine to command."

There was a flash of light and the ringing of metal, and then she stood before them all, dressed in silver armor and wreathed in a corona of blue wisps. Both of her best friends had their jaws dropped to the ground, their eyes wide as they looked her over. Blinky stood with a proud smile and clapped happily while Aaarrrgghh just watched with a smile that crossed his entire face.

"That is so awesome!" Darci suddenly said, jumping up and walking over to her. "This is literally the coolest thing I've ever seen!"

Mary followed and circled her, taking in her armor-clad figure. "You are rocking that armor, C-Bomb!"

She blushed at their praise and let out a giggle as they felt up her plated arms. "Thanks, guys."

Before Darci could remark again or Mary could take a picture with her phone, Blinky interjected, "Yes. Yes. It is quite an incredible sight, but I'm afraid there is not time to revel."

"Uh, wait," Darci interrupted with a raised hand. "So, Claire's the first Human Trollhunter?"

Blinky nodded. "Yes."

"So, who was the Trollhunter before her?"

"Kanjigar," Aaarrrgghh answered, pride in his voice and on his face. "Best Trollhunter yet."

"Indeed," Blinky agreed.

"What happened to him?" Mary asked. "Did he retire? Or something?"

The trolls looked at each other, and Claire felt something akin to dread seep into her chest.

"I'm afraid that Kanjigar the Courageous was felled in combat," Blinky said, his face, along with Aaarrrgghh's dropping.

"Felled?" Claire asked, voice going a pitch higher. "Like, killed?"

"Yes," Aaarrrgghh answered. "Turned to stone, and smashed by Bular."

"Bular?" Darci and Mary asked together.

The trolls nodded and Claire stared a thousand yards away, a thousand thoughts about being killed going through her head.

"Bular is a ruthless troll," Blinky explained, "the last remaining Gumm-Gumm in the world."

They all tilted their heads and Mary asked, "Okay, what's a Gumm-Gumm?"

"Evil troll," Aaarrrgghh said.

Her friends nodded their heads in understanding, but Claire was still freaking out internally.

 _Okay, this isn't awesome anymore! I don't wanna die!_

"So, Bular killed Kanjigar?" Claire asked and they nodded. "And, he could kill me?"

"Only if you are not ready," Blinky said and she almost reenacted her fainting Monday night. "But fear not! That is why we are here!"

Aaarrrgghh nodded with a smile and Blinky clasped his hands together, an eager look in his six eyes. Darci and Mary, on the other hand, wore horrified faces and immediately got close to her, putting their arms around her back, ready to catch her in case she fell over.

"You gonna be okay, Claire-Bear?" Darci asked, putting her other hand on her shoulder.

"I… uh… I don't know," she confessed and they sat her down in one of the chairs. "I don't want to die!"

"Then we must begin your training immediately!" Blinky declared with a raised finger.

Her friends glared at him and she stared at him with offense.

"I- I can't just go off and be a Trollhunter!" she claimed. "I've got school and auditions and my parents would definitely notice me doing… whatever it is a Trollhunter does." Blinky raised his finger again to speak, but she stopped him immediately. "I'm sorry, Blinky, but I can't do this."

The Amulet came off and she handed it to him. Only for him to push the hand holding it back to her.

"I'm afraid that I cannot retake the Amulet, Master Claire," he said. "Just as you cannot abandon it."

"What?"

"The Amulet chose you. It is your destiny."

She watched the Amulet glow blue for a moment, and then looked back at Blinky when he spoke again, "Master Claire, you are now responsible for the protection of two worlds; human and troll alike. If you do not keep the balance, evil trolls will come into yours and wreak havoc."

"That's not ominous at all," Mary muttered resentfully, arms still wrapped around her.

"So, if I don't become the Trollhunter, then Bular will hurt people?"

"Yes," Aaarrrgghh answered, "like you."

She froze up and the arms around her tightened. Blinky whirled around and snapped at him, "Not. Helping."

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa," Darci said. "What does he mean?"

Blinky looked hesitant to answer, and Claire glared at him until he answered, "Well… with the Amulet now in your possession, Bular will most certainly seek you out. One way or another, you will have to face him."

The color had all but drained from her face, leaving only terror and fear showing as she stared into the distance. Her heart was thumping and she felt like she was about to faint again. However, Mary pushed herself into the conversation, "Whoa. Okay. You cannot just drop a bomb like that on C-Bomb and expect her to fight to the death because of some stupid Amulet."

Mary pointed an accusing finger at Blinky and the troll stumbled back.

"Yeah," Darci agreed, nodding her head with Mary. "At least give her some time to process this."

Blinky shared another look with Aaarrrgghh before he sighed. "Very well, we will return tomorrow night to begin her training."

* * *

Everything was a blur after that. They cleaned up her mom's office, making sure everything looked nice and nothing was out of place. They checked up on Enrique—who they had apparently forgotten upstairs—and found him playing with their papers. Finally, they saw her uninvited guests out.

Claire was rocking Enrique in her arms, lulling him to sleep, while Darci and Mary were trying to push Aaarrrgghh out the back door. It was a pretty funny sight, and she giggled softly as her friends grunted and groaned. Meanwhile, Blinky stood nearby, watching with a small smile of amusement too. Then, though, he turned to her and she met his gaze. They watched each other for a moment, silence reigning between them, but then he moved towards her.

"Master Claire," he said softly. "I know that you are afraid. But if I may…."

He offered an empathetic face and she nodded slowly.

"Destiny is a gift," he began quietly. "Some go their entire lives, living existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders is actually a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights."

His voice grew louder and more confident, and she grew more enthralled. His words were poetic and inspiring, and she found herself hanging off of each one.

"Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor, and that to strive in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero."

 _A hero…._

"Don't think, Master Claire."

She dug out the Amulet from her pocket to hold it up. It cast its blue glow over her and she watched it for a moment before looking back to Blinky whose smile was wide and exuberant.

"Become."

* * *

 **So, now Darci and Mary are in on the big secret.**

 **So, up next we got the auditions and Claire's first encounter with Bular.**

 **That's gonna be pretty fun. I think...**

 **Anyways, Part 3 of Trollhunter, amirite?**

 **I don't know who has or hasn't seen it yet, so I won't be mentioning spoilers.**

 **However, I do just wanna say that I hate Merlin, I hate his character, and I hate everything about him.**

 **Oh, and I can't wait for 3 Below to come out this fall.**

 **So, with that being said, hope to see you all next time.**

 **Follow and Favorite to stay updated, and leave a Review if you've got some things to say.**


	4. Flight and Fight

**So, this is a bit of a late update.**

 **Sorry about that.**

 **I hope this lives up to your expectations and you thoroughly enjoy it.**

 **So, here we've got the auditions and then Claire's first face-to-face encounter with Bular.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

"Alright, say it with me, C-Bomb." Mary rubbed her hands together with a grin on her face. "You got this!"

Claire breathed in, then out. "I got this."

They were sitting backstage in the school auditorium/gym—it functioned as both—getting ready for her audition. Mary, being the peppiest among them, was trying to be a motivational coach while Darci went more hands on and tried relaxing her with a shoulder-rub. Their efforts, while being pretty great, were falling a little short.

 _Oh jeez, what if I mess up a line. Or what if there's someone who's going to blow me out of the water!_

"Hey, Claire!" Two hands grabbed her face and she stiffened as Mary pulled her close. "No anxiety! Got it?"

"I can't help it," she said, voice muffled with Mary's hands smooshing her cheeks.

"Yes, you can!" her friend snapped. "Who are you?"

Claire tilted her head. "Uh… Claire Nuñez?"

"That's right! And what grades do you get?"

"A's?"

"Who do all the boys swoon for?"

She blushed. "...Me?"

"Who's gotten Spring Fling Queen three years in a row?"

She furrowed her brow. "Me."

"And who's gonna play Juliet in the play?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Me!"

Claire clenched her hands and jumped up from the chair. Exultation and exhilaration erupted within her and she let out a cry. Pumping up a fist, she roared, and Darci and Mary roared with her. They raised up their arms and they cheered together.

And then, there was a blue flash.

 _What the- Oh no._

"Uh…" Darci trailed off and Mary shared her incredulous look.

Claire stared down at herself and grabbed her head when she found her favorite magenta, Hamlet shirt covered up by a silver chest plate.

"Oh, my God," Mary breathed.

"No. No. No. Not now!" Claire shrieked and clawed at the Amulet sitting over her heart. "Get off! Come on!"

She couldn't get a grip on the Amulet, though. Her armored fingers just scraped on the chestplate. Meanwhile, her friends stood by and watched, their eyes wide and mouths dropped.

"Guys!"

They jumped into action then, and tried helping her rip the Amulet off. After a solid three minutes of using their fingers, they resorted to pencils and rulers and a hammer that Mary found on a nearby table.

"Mary, you gotta pull harder!"

"I don't want to break it!" Mary hissed. "Why is it even on you, right now?"

"I don't know!" Claire said, holding onto a table. "I'm supposed to say the incantation on it to put the armor on!"

"Did you say it in your head?" Darci asked, helping Mary find a seam or groove to use the hammer on.

"No!"

There was a round of applause from behind the curtain and they stilled. Someone exited the stage and disappeared outside, and they breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Claire sucked in a breath and looked at her friends. "Guys, I'm up soon! Get it off!"

"Uh…."

Before they could jump back to helping Claire, they looked to the source of the voice and found a boy in a blue jacket staring at them.

With her eyes wide and body arched backwards over a table, Claire flushed red and quickly pushed herself upright. Darci straightened and Mary glanced around before hiding the hammer behind her back.

"H-Hi, John- Jim!" Claire shouted, and then flushed red. "S-Sorry."

She laughed nervously and straightened up, her friends doing the same.

Jim cracked a nervous smile too and rubbed the back of his neck. "Hi, Claire; and, uh, it's no problem. You've only met me twice, right?"

"Well, I mean, we have Mr. Strickler's class together, so you'd think I'd know your name by now."

She got him to laugh at that, albeit nervously; but he still laughed.

"Still, it's alright," he said.

It was then that his eyes went down from her face to her armor-clad body. She guessed it finally clicked in his head that she was donned from collar to toe in a full suit of intricately engraved, silver armor.

"Wow," he said, eyes wide as he took in her appearance, "that's… so awesome!"

Claire glanced at her friends and they shrugged while Jim studied her armor with awe in his eyes. She blushed a little, and tried to strike a bit of a pose without looking too awkward. His face was beaming and it was as bright as the sun, but why was her face getting as hot as it?

"Thanks."

Suddenly, his smile faltered. "But, wait, why are you wearing it to auditions?"

The nervous smile she wore fell and Claire shot an anxious look at her friends. They tensed up and darted their eyes around, looking for something to help get her out of the situation.

"She just… uh..." Mary trailed off, finger pressed to her chin, "wanted… to feel… safe… you know?"

Mary gave a weak laugh, Claire mentally facepalmed, and Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Okay," he said, dubiously.

They stood in silence for a while, nervously fidgeting until a round of applause erupted from behind the curtains. Everyone looked at the small slit in the curtains where light poured through until Eli Pepperjack came prancing through, wearing a cardboard box and holding a cardboard sword.

"Oh, hi, guys," he greeted and they all waved awkwardly as the scrawny boy left.

Another moment of silence reigned until Darci shouted, "Oh, wow, it's your turn, Claire!"

Her friend grabbed her by the arm and pulled her towards the curtain. Jim watched from the side while Mary deposited the hammer where she'd found it. Claire, all the while, yelped and stumbled as she was practically shoved onstage.

She caught herself before she faceplanted into the floor. Looking up, she squinted and held a hand over her eyes before her vision adjusted to the bright stage lights. Then, turning her gaze down, she focused on Ms. Janeth, who sat at the forefront of the audience with a clipboard in hand.

"Ah, Claire-" Her drama teacher stopped and squinted at her. "What in the world are you wearing, Claire?"

Claire stared at her teacher, face flushed bright red. There were murmurs in the audience, most of them about her armor. She saw Darci and Mary take the seats in the back, both of them offering thumbs-up's and encouraging smiles.

Claire swallowed. Hard. "It's… Uh… It's… so I can feel safer?"

Ms. Janeth looked uncertain, but seemed to let her get away with that excuse. After briefly glancing down at the clipboard in her hand, her teacher called out, "As you say, Claire. Now, what part are you trying out for?"

"Juliet, ma'am."

"Alright, you may begin when ready."

"Alright… Okay…." She took a deep breath and recalled her lines.

 _Give me my Romeo and when we die… No. No. Give me my Romeo and- No! That's not it… Oh, no._

The panic was probably showing on her face because Mary's and Darci's smiles dropped.

"Uh…." she said and trailed off.

Ms. Janeth looked up at her, confusion on her face, probably not expecting her of all her students to forget her lines.

"Is there a problem, Claire?"

"N-No problem, ma'am."

 _All the problems, ma'am._

Claire swallowed and had a miniature breakdown. She'd been too preoccupied worrying about the Amulet and trolls and possibly dying that she'd let the lines slip from her mind. There were tidbits and familiar phrases, but if she tried stringing together she'd probably just make a fool of herself.

 _This can't be happening, right now!_

She looked around and saw Darci and Mary frantically trying to do something. Make a sign? Mouth the lines?

 _Why'd that Amulet have to choose me? I didn't want this… this destiny… Destiny…._

 _"Destiny is a gift."_

She looked up at Ms. Janeth. "Um, excuse me, ma'am."

"Yes, Claire?"

"I forgot... well, we aren't exactly supposed to recite lines from the play, right?"

Her drama teacher raised an eyebrow, but then shook her head. "No. While it would be easier, the auditions are about showcasing acting skills, not memorization."

"Alright," Claire said and smiled faintly. "I'm ready to begin now."

"Good."

She breathed in and breathed out. Let the air flow into her lungs and tumble off her lips. There was a humming over her heart and she felt that strange serenity wash over her again. She briefly glanced at the Amulet on her chestplate and then looked up.

"Destiny... is a gift."

She paused and swallowed. The Amulet ticked and hummed, glowing a little bit brighter as she clenched her hands and raised her chin.

"Some people go their entire lives living… existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels like a burden pushing down upon their shoulders is... actually a sense of purpose... that lifts us to greater heights."

She paused again, and took in everyone's expressions. Ms. Janeth was stunned, curiosity and reverence on her face as she lay her clipboard down. Darci and Mary were watching with awe and recognition, mouths dropped but quivering into smiles. Everyone else was on the edge of their seats, hanging off each word just like she had the night before.

"Never forget that fear... is but the precursor to valor," she raised a hand and clenched it, prompting the audience to suck in a breath. "And that to strive in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero."

There was movement behind the curtains, and she glanced to Jim who peeked out with a wondrous look on his face.

"Don't think," she said and put a hand over her heart. "Become."

The audience erupted into cheers and she struck a pose. Some boys swooned, some girls cheered, other girls got up and left because they'd been blown out of the water, and Claire sighed.

The anxiety and the stress faded away, and the weight on her shoulders lifted off. She felt better, freer. A small smile grew on her face and she saw her friends in the back of the audience giving her the brightest looks of joy she'd seen from them yet.

After glancing at Ms. Janeth, who smiled and nodded, Claire made her way offstage. Walking to the curtains, though, she met Jim who shifted on his feet awkwardly.

"H-Hey," he stammered.

She flashed him a smile. "Hi."

"That… That was… That was amazing!"

She blushed and brushed some stray hair behind her ear—which was burning up. "Thanks."

They stood there a while longer, smiling at each other, before Darci and Mary threw their arms around her. Squealing, they pulled her around while she giggled and tried standing her ground.

"That was awesome, C-Bomb!"

"There's no way you didn't get the part."

They bombarded her with a dozen more compliments, and the whole time she giggled and blushed and looked away so that their beaming faces wouldn't blind her. She barely even noticed when Jim straightened and walked past them towards the stage.

"And who are you?" Ms. Janeth's voice asked.

Claire quieted down, and her friends followed, as they looked back at the slit in the curtains. Peeking out, they watched Jim gather his courage to answer the drama teacher, "Uh, James Lake Jr."

"And what part are you trying out for?"

"Uh, Romeo."

Mary nudged her and shot a sly smile. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Jim.

Ms. Janeth clicked her pen. "Well, we are all ears."

Claire watched him shift nervously for a couple more seconds before taking a deep breath. He exhaled and looked up, and their eyes met. "O, speak again, bright angel!"

He paused, faltering for a moment. She offered an encouraging smile, and she saw his cheeks turn a little rosy. He started again after that, though, a tiny bit of a smile on his lips. "For thou art as glorious to this night, being… over my head as is a winged messenger of heaven…." He took another breath, eyes wandering over the audience. "...unto the white, upturned, wan- wondering eyes of mortals that... fall back to gaze on him when he bestrides the lazy-puffing clouds and sails upon the bosom of the air."

He visibly swallowed and stood straighter, but he stumbled back at the applause that rang out. Most of it came from a larger boy in the back, but there was a fair amount from the rest of the audience. Darci and Mary gave small claps and she, herself, gave a fervent round.

Getting up, Claire made her way over to the stage just as Jim climbed down—rather than choosing to go through the curtains. He looked like he was about to burn up—and she was pretty sure there was steam coming out of his shirt as he tugged on the collar.

"That was great, Jim," she said and he reddened ever more.

"Gr-Gracias, Claire," he replied, pointing a pair of finger guns at her.

She raised an eyebrow and her friends giggled before they grabbed her by the arms.

"Come on, Claire-Bear," Darci said. "Your dad's dropping off Enrique, remember?"

"Oh, right," she said and gave Jim a short wave. "See you later, Jim."

He waved back and gave a smile. "Y-Yeah, see you later."

* * *

A couple hours later, she found herself walking down the sidewalk with Darci on her right, Mary on her left, and Enrique sitting in a baby carrier on her chest. After picking her baby brother up from her dad, she and her friends had headed downtown, looking to get some smoothies.

"I can't believe you actually forgot your lines," Darci said, laughing as Claire's face turned red.

"Hey, it's been a pretty stressful week, okay," she tried reasoning and both her friends gave her sympathetic looks.

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"But what about John?" Mary asked, wiggling her eyebrows—or at least trying to.

"John?" Claire said, confused. "You mean Jim?"

Mary grew that sly smile again, and so did Darci. Her face started burning again and she looked down to Enrique who giggled as he played with a rattler.

"Jim, huh?" Darci teased.

"Yeah," she said, trying her hardest not to stammer, "that's his name."

Mary hummed. "What else do you know about him?"

"Nothing- Guys, come on."

Both her friends giggled and leaned away, turning to their smoothies as she grumbled under her breath.

"Anyways, what was up with your armor, though?" Darci asked. "Like, that was out of nowhere."

Claire shrugged. "I don't know. One second, I was super pumped for auditions, the next I'm all suited-"

She never finished. A savage, animalistic roar cut her off and echoed across the street. She and her friends stopped, their blood running cold and fear freezing their bodies. There was something in the shadows ahead, lurking in the dark, barren street.

Wrapping her arms over Enrique, she backed up as a massive troll with eyes burning orange and body almost as black as ash, reared up.

"Trollhunter!" he roared, voice rough and brutal. "Merlin's creation! Gunmar's Bane!"

The troll hunched down onto all fours and punched the pavement. Two hilts protruded from his back, and she didn't need to be told twice that the troll was armed.

"Uh, Claire," Darci whispered, backing up too.

"I-I think he's talking about you, C-C-Bomb," Mary said, voice low and quivering.

The troll roared again and they squeaked, stumbling backwards as he paced. He made to step out of the shadows and Claire watched with wide, terrified eyes as he reached one hand out; and then hissed in pain as the sunlight burned him.

She blinked and looked back up at the troll. His eyes narrowed and he roared again, this time out of outrage.

"The sunlight hurts him," she said and glanced at the setting sun.

"Well, we're running out of sun!" Mary cried.

"The Amulet!" the troll roared. "Surrender it and I shall give you a speedy death!"

"Uh, I don't like the sound of that," Darci said, face pale and voice quiet.

Claire looked down the street on their right, watching the shadows gradually lengthen and the sunlight slowly dim.

"Come on!" she shouted and slapped Darci's arm before grabbing Mary's wrist.

Holding on to Enrique, she dashed down the sidewalk, dragging Mary with her and Darci following behind. There was another savage roar and she heard the heavy footfalls as the troll attempted to pursue them.

"This way!" she said and pulled them behind a parked truck.

They ducked down and steadied their breathing. The troll's steps echoed across the buildings and Claire bounced Enrique lightly, cooing softly to calm him down before he wailed. Thankfully, her baby brother barely made a sound as he looked up at her curiously.

Nearby, the troll growled as he hunted them and Claire felt a hand patting her shoulder.

"Suit up, please," Mary pleaded and smacked her arm. "Suit up. Suit up. Suit up."

"I know!" she hissed and dug the Amulet out of her backpack.

She stared at it for a second, and then opened her mouth to speak the incantation. However, the sound of a stone-like fist striking metal interrupted her. There was a crash and her friends squeaked. Enrique almost cried, but she put a hand over his mouth and bounced him again.

Giving her baby brother to Darci, Claire glanced around the corner of the truck and the car that lay fallen on its side. Another joined it, landing on its roof as the troll made his way down the line of curb-parked vehicles.

"O-Okay," she stammered and sat back down. "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command…."

The Amulet remained dormant. There was no flash, no brilliant glow. Its ethereal blue light remained soft and faint, barely brightening at all.

"I-It's not working," she whispered.

Mary turned her wide eyes at her. "What!"

The troll's footsteps were getting closer now, and they looked up, prepared to look death in the eye before it took them. However, Darci grabbed their arms and pulled them around to the other side of the truck. A few seconds later, a growl sounded from where they were hiding.

As Mary pulled out her phone to call 911, Claire wasted no time in incanting again, "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command… It's mine to command! Come on!"

Suddenly, the truck behind them rose up and they twisted around as the troll glared at them. He held the truck over his head and they stared at him with terrified faces.

"Centuries of Trollhunters, and I would have killed two in almost as many days."

Mary whimpered and dropped her phone, Darci gaped and held Enrique closer to her, and Claire glanced at the alley a few meters away.

"Follow me!" she shouted and grabbed her friends.

Jerked out of their stupors, they followed as the troll brought the truck down. Metal crumpled and glass shattered, but they were already diving between two buildings. The troll tried reaching them with a large, dark hand, but they were already on the other side by the time he tried.

"Wh-Where do we go from here?" Mary asked, hand over her heart as she breathed in and out.

"This way!" Darci said and ran towards another alley. "This should get us to Delancey."

They followed and headed out onto another open street. A roar resounded throughout the streets and Darci lead them over to the opposite sidewalk beside Stuart Electronics.

"Where does this go?" Claire asked, squeezing into the alley with Mary.

"I think it heads out to the canal."

Claire glanced up to the sky, noting how it'd changed from orange and yellow to pink and dark blue. Soon, the troll could move anywhere without the sunlight to stop him. However, she was pretty sure it had lost them. She could barely hear him roaring in the distance.

"You think we lost him?" Darci asked as they snuck down the street.

"Yeah," Claire said, holding onto Enrique like she'd lose him if she didn't. "Come on, we gotta hurry."

"Wait, should we call my dad?"

"And tell him what?" Mary asked, putting her hands on her hips. "That a big, bad troll is trying to kill us?"

"Mary's right," she said. "No one would believe us."

They looked at each other and then turned their eyes back down the street. Continuing on their journey to her house, they glanced around nervously and jumped at every shadow. By the time they made it to the edge of downtown the sun was almost completely set.

Pulling out her phone, Claire said, "It's getting pretty dark. Maybe I could call my dad and he could- Ah!"

She jumped and cried out as a dark figure stepped out of the trees nearby. Her friends jumped behind her as she grabbed her Amulet, but she stopped, recognizing the voice and six-eyes of the newcomer.

"Ah ha! Master Claire!" Blinky cheered as he and Aaarrrgghh revealed themselves.

"Blinky!" she cried and ran to him with her own friends following. "There's this- this huge, black troll trying to kill us! It chased us across town!"

Her hands were flying all above her as she explained her near-death experience with them. All the while, Enrique was giggling and clapping his hands at seeing the two trolls again. Blinky, himself, was rubbing his chin and nodding his head.

"So you've met Bular," he said, and then grinned. "And you're still alive! I knew you had potential, Master Claire."

She blinked and heard Mary growl.

"This is insane!" she yelled, throwing her arms in the air. "My phone is gone and we almost died!"

They looked at her as she finished venting and sat down, huffing and puffing. Then, Darci asked the trolls, "So, you guys can fight Bular, right?"

Both of them just laughed.

"I cannot hope to possess the skill to face Bular," Blinky remarked, holding his chest as he chuckled.

"But- But what about him!" Claire pointed at Aaarrrgghh. "He's big!"

"Pacifist," Aaarrrgghh rumbled.

She slumped her shoulders. "Seriously?"

"You gotta be kidding me," Darci mumbled and sat down next to Mary.

Blinky stepped forward then and held up a finger. "This is why there is a Trollhunter, Master Claire. Aaarrrgghh renounced the violent path ages ago."

She glanced at the hulking troll, but couldn't bring herself to glare at the gentle giant vibe he gave off. Opening her mouth to speak, Claire prepared to ask them if they knew how to ward off Bular. However, she could say a single word, a roar erupted from behind them.

Darci and Mary jumped up, Enrique stopped giggling, and she spun around to look at the hunched over form of Bular. He was all the way down at the end of the street, illuminated by street lights as he rose up and glared at her. "Trollhunter!"

"Follow me!" Blinky instructed as he turned around. "We'll be safe in Heartstone Trollmarket."

And then, they were off again. Running down the street, gasping for breath as their lungs and legs burned. Blinky whimpered loudly and Mary shrieked as she tried keeping up.

"Mary, keep up!"

"Not all of us ran track, Claire!"

"Watch out!" Darci shouted and they glanced behind them as Bular jumped onto a utility pole.

He brought it down with a jerk, and with it, the rest of the poles lining the street. Sparks flew and the sound of electricity zapping filled the air as the poles came down, one-by-one.

"Mary!" they both shouted.

Their friend yelped when one pole fell in front of her, and she yelped again when Aaarrrgghh grabbed her by the back of her shirt and pulled her onto his back. Claire would've sighed in relief if she hadn't been running for her life.

Suddenly, Blinky took a left, down a grassy alley between two houses. She followed with Darci close behind and Aaarrrgghh pulling up the rear, Mary holding on for dear life on his back.

"Master Claire!" Blinky called, weariness in his voice. "Don your armor!"

"I tried!" she shouted back. "The Amulet wouldn't listen to me!"

"Did you speak the incantation?"

"I did!"

"Try it again, Claire!" Darci said, running up beside her. "Give me, Enrique!"

She handed her baby brother over without a word. Enrique babbled in confusion as she gave him to her friend, and the look he gave her was almost heartbreaking. Claire pushed down the guilt, though, and pulled out her Amulet.

Gulping, Claire looked down to the Amulet. "F-For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is- is mine to command."

Nothing happened. She skidded to a halt at the top of the canal.

 _Come on!_

"For the glory of Merlin... Daylight is mine to command."

The Amulet didn't do a thing. Her friends had made it down and she turned to face Bular. He burst from the shadowed brush and ran at her.

 _Please!_

"F-For the glory of- of Merlin, Daylight is mine to c-command."

It stayed dormant; neither glowing nor ticking. Bular was almost on top of her. She closed her eyes and breathed in deep.

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command."

The Amulet hummed and its light danced on her closed eyes as she heard Bular leap up.

Before she felt him hit her, she felt her silver chestplate hug her torso. There was a zap and hiss when something, probably his fist, connected with her chest, and then she felt weightless.

The Amulet's magic hummed and hissed all around her. Opening her eyes, she found herself in the air, the rest of her armor materializing above her body.

"Claire!" her friends' voices echoed as she soared through the air, greaves and gauntlets ringing as they assembled on her limbs.

She was like a comet, flying and falling through the air with a wispy trail of ethereal blue following her. The shoulder guards clamped onto her shoulders just as she landed.

The cement cracked beneath her and tore chunks out of the canal. In her right hand, her sword appeared and she grunted as she lifted it up. Her eyes narrowed, and she glared at the Gumm-Gumm troll standing at the top of the canal.

Bular roared. Claire paled.

"Nope."

Then, she was running towards her friends, dragging her sword with her. It was heavy, but she didn't trust not having a weapon with her, right now.

"Claire, watch out!" Darci shouted and she looked up as Bular jumped down in front of her.

She stopped and raised her sword. Her heart was thumping and pounding and she darted her eyes across his body.

 _What do I look for? Weaknesses? Motions?_

"Use your sword, Master Claire!" Blinky yelled from beneath the bridge and she tightened her grip on the mentioned weapon.

Bular rose up to his full height and she took a step back.

"I'll drink your blood out of a goblet made of your skull!" he threatened, holding up a clawed hand that clenched into a fist.

Claire narrowed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. She raised her sword and tried remembering anything about sword fighting. The most she could recall was the stances people used in movies, so she took one and held her blade close.

Bular roared and charged at her, raising an arm to swing at her. Suddenly, her armor lit up and she felt magic rush through her veins. It appeared on the armor in bright, blue lights that glowed and ran up the markings engraved on the silver until they met in her hands. The sword blazed with power, shining a radiant blue as she cried out and swung at Bular.

The blade met his arm and the magic blasted them both back. Bular stumbled backwards while she slid, scraping cement shavings out of the bottom of the canal.

"Claire!"

Claire looked to her friends, Darci, Mary, and Blinky waving at her to come to them. A light was shining behind them, from the alcove they were hiding in.

Glancing at Bular briefly, Claire made a run for them.

"Trollhunter!" the Gumm-Gumm roared after her. "Coward! You are not fit to wield the Amulet!"

Something sharp and metal flew past her and embedded itself in the ground. It was a short sword, one of the two Bular had. She yelped and ran past it, dropping her own sword as she made a mad dash for her friends.

"Claire, come on!"

"I'm running as fast as I can!" she shouted. "This armor's really heavy!"

It really was. She might've run track, but she didn't do it in a full suit of armor.

"Hurry!"

They were standing in some kind of portal, and it was closing.

Mary reached out to her. "Claire!"

"Come on! Keep it open!" Darci screamed, pounding her fists on Aaarrrgghh's arm.

Slabs of stone began rebuilding the back of the alcove, closing off her escape. Her eyes grew wider and the desperation in her turned into cold dread. She made it just as the wall was made whole, the light of the portal disappearing.

"No! No!" she shouted, tears brimming in her eyes. "Come on! Guys!"

She banged on the wall, hoping that they knew she was there and they'd let her in. Yet, nothing happened and she backed up.

 _This can't be happening… Please, this can't be happening!_

A growl sounded behind her and she spun around, trembling as her armor vanished in blue wisps. The Amulet dropped to the ground with a clatter and she picked it up.

"No," she whispered and stared Bular's charging form. "No. No. Please."

 _Someone! Anyone! Help!_

She held the Amulet up. "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command. For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to- Ah!"

She screamed as Bular's second short sword impaled itself beside her.

 _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to-_

She was pulled from her thoughts as she was pulled into the wall, a large hand grabbing her. A yelp escaped her before she hit the ground, gasping in shock. She blinked and glanced around at the dark cave and the faces of Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, Darci, and Mary.

"Oh, my God, Claire!" Mary shouted and hugged her tightly with Darci, though, not enough to squish Enrique between them.

Her little brother, meanwhile, cried out joyously and patted her with his hands. There were tears and snot on his face, and she cracked a tiny smile at him.

"Hola, mi hermanito," she said and gave him a kiss on the head.

Then, turning to her friends, she pulled them in for another hug. They didn't say anything, they just sat there and let their tears fall.

Of course, Blinky had to ruin the moment. "I knew you would make it, Master Claire!"

Snapping her eyes open at his triumphant voice, Claire looked at the troll and glared.

"I- We- We almost-" She took a second to collect her furious thoughts and dry her wet face.

"Almost what?" Blinky asked. "Speak, Master Claire."

Her face became red with anger. "We almost died!"

"'Almost'!" he repeated and held up a finger in the air, ignoring the anger in her voice. "A very important word. A life of 'almost' is a life of never!"

She gave him a look of disbelief before sighing, knowing that he'd probably just ignore any other furious complaints.

"Why did the armor disappear?" she asked, holding the Amulet up to her eyes.

"Master Claire, you are the first Human to possess the Amulet crafted for trolls," Blinky explained, heading towards the edge of the faint light they sat in. "It's to be expected its behavior will be… unexpected."

Suddenly, he stepped down onto something and Claire raised an eyebrow. She got up, Enrique now in her arms after Darci handed him back to her, and she and her friends followed him.

"Whoa," Darci breathed as they watched a spiral staircase of massive, blue crystals light up all the way down to the bottom of the cavern.

"This way, masters," Blinky said and held out a hand towards the stairs. "This way."

They followed him down the crystal steps, eyes wide and mouths dropped open. Even Enrique, who was usually so jovial and bubbly, turned his head left and right to gape at the fantastical sight.

Claire took in the sight of the crystals, how some were brighter and bigger than others and some were darker or shorter as well.

 _It's like something out of a fairy tale… well, I guess trolls and magic are too._

"Hey, Claire." She looked at Darci. "I know I said your armor was the coolest thing ever; but… this kinda beats that."

Claire rolled her eyes and giggled. "No problem, Darci."

They continued down several more steps before Mary suddenly piped up, asking, "Are you sure we're safe down here?"

She occasionally glanced up at the top of the staircase, a frightened shadow still on her face. Claire couldn't blame her. She was probably going to have nightmares for the rest of her life after facing Bular, herself.

"Indeed," Blinky answered. "The incantation forbids entry to Heartstone Trollmarket by Gumm-Gumms, such as Bular, for they are the most fearsome of trolls."

"Oh," Mary said, "okay."

They reached the bottom of the staircase then, but before they continued, Claire had some questions she wanted answers too. "So, Bular can't get in here? Into… uh, Heartstone Trollmarket?"

"No, Master Claire," he said and grabbed her shoulders gently.

Then, with a surprising amount of strength, he swiveled her around so she was looking away from the spiral staircase and out the threshold that had been behind her.

Darci and Mary stepped beside her, their awed faces mirroring her own.

The path below them became a small set of steps that then became a cobblestone path. And that path continued on and split off and widened and shrunk as buildings and stalls rose up. The path became bridges that linked both sides of a colossal cavern lit up with an innumerable amount of crystals, all of which shined different colors, ranging from purple to green to blue or red. The largest of the crystals, though, sat at the heart of the underground city, glowing golden-orange.

Among buildings and on the path, Claire saw trolls bustling about. They were of all shapes and sizes, large and small, thin and big, brightly colored or darkly shaded. Some had horns as long as big as her arm-width and some had horns as small as her head. The trolls milled around, heading to stalls and shops, or going up stairs to houses built up and lining the cavern walls.

The sight was incredible and wondrous and she could only breathe, "Wow."

"Right," Mary said beside her, eyes just as wide and breath just as stolen.

"This is amazing," Darci remarked, mouth turning into a smile.

From behind them, Blinky came up and put a hand on her shoulder. Claire looked up at him, and she followed his gaze back out across the hidden home of the trolls.

"This is the world you are bound to protect!" he declared. "This is Heartstone Trollmarket!"

* * *

 **And that's a wrap.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

 **I had a lot of fun writing the auditions and everyone's reactions to Claire suddenly getting her armor.**

 **Of course, Blinky didn't explain the armor reacting to Claire's emotional state in the last chapter, so, they're kinda oblivious to that in this one.**

 **The Bular chase is more or less the same as the show, save for the fact that they don't have bikes.**

 **Claire, of course, can't fight or cut up a meatloaf, so she doesn't really fight Bular like Jim does.**

 **Anyways, up next is their first stroll through Heartstone Trollmarket and encounter with Draal, plus Vendel.**

 **Favorite and Follow to stay updated, and leave a Review if you'd like.**


	5. Heartstone Trollmarket

**So, really sorry that this came out a week after the last update.**

 **I started my summer class the day after I uploaded Chapter 4 and, well, it's a week-long class for the rest of June and July.**

 **So, I'm kinda busy with that, plus work.**

 **Still, though, I am working and writing in my spare time.**

 **Excuses aside, I also spent a lot of time trying to get a feel for the chapter.**

 **I'm a little worried that the tour through Trollmarket doesn't seem as different with Claire as with Jim, but I'll leave the judgement up to you.**

 **Anyways, I'll let you get on with the reading.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

Heartstone Trollmarket was probably the most spectacular and breathtaking sight that Claire had ever seen; and judging from Darci and Mary's dropped jaws, it was the same for them too. Even Enrique, who was always either giggling or babbling, had gone quiet and simply watched the sprawling, underground city with wide, wondrous eyes.

"Darci?" Mary suddenly called.

They looked at Mary and Darci answered, "Yeah?"

"Give me your phone," she said. "I need to take so many pics, right now."

Darci dug out her phone and unlocked it for Mary, handing it over to the girl who immediately began snapping pictures of everything around them. Claire smiled, happy that they'd finally gotten a moment to themselves.

They stood there for moments longer, taking in the sights before Blinky strode in front of them. Claire watched him descend the staircase to the cobblestone ground in front of Trollmarket.

Following, she asked, "So, this is your home?"

Blinky grinned. "Trollmarket is home and hearth and sanctuary for all trolls."

Darci and Mary trailed behind her, their heads swiveling from left to right as they looked at massive crystals and hanging houses.

"This way, my friends," Blinky said and gestured down the cobblestone path. "There is much to see."

They followed wordlessly, simply sticking behind Blinky as he led the way. Meanwhile, Aaarrrgghh took up the back end of their little tour group. He led them into the city, down streets and past market stalls and shops. Crude awnings were set up above thresholds and stalls where trolls sold anything ranging from a stack of old TV sets to barrels of… something.

Claire raised her eyebrow at one particular building with a sign outside it depicting the face of a cat with X's over its eyes. She turned away quickly at the sound of meowing and yelping.

"Stay close," Blinky instructed. "Human feet have never graced the ground of Trollmarket before."

It took a moment for Claire to process what he said. Fortunately, she got a very clear meaning of what he meant when a female troll near them cried out, "Humans? Here!"

She skirted away from the clearly infuriated troll, but thankfully, Aaarrrgghh stepped in.

"Friends," he rumbled and put himself between them and the female troll.

Claire flashed him a gracious smile and he smiled back.

For a while longer, they toured the streets, finding more curious and fantastic sights. At one point, Mary had tried taking a picture of a bunch of small gnome-looking creatures. They turned out to be actual gnomes, according to Blinky, and they also turned out to have really sharp teeth. Darci and her had laughed a bit when Mary had squawked and jumped away from the hissing gnomes.

Eventually, they arrived at a terrace overlooking the massive, golden-orange crystal that sat at the heart of Trollmarket.

"Wow," Darci said as Mary took another picture.

"Indeed," Blinky said, pulling up next to them. "That, is the Heartstone. The life force of Trollkind."

Claire glanced at him, and then looked back at the crystal. There was something about it, something… magical, just like her amulet. The more she stared, the more its light seemed to… pulse.

"It's your life force?" she asked, looking to Blinky.

He nodded. "Yes. It is the means by which we do not crumble to stone, as well as our source of light and sustenance."

Mary took another picture. "Cool."

"Humans!" They swiveled around immediately as a crowd of trolls gathered around them. "What are humans doing here?"

She and her friends hid behind Aaarrrgghh as the crowd tossed around a few insults, like 'puny' and 'fleshbag'. Thankfully, their hulking friend stood tall, challenging anyone to step forward and face him. Blinky, himself, stepped forward towards the crowd with arms open. "Friends, there is no need to be afraid. He is the Trollhu-"

Before he could even finish, a large, blue troll with a head full of curved, white horns parted the crowd and walked towards them, hands balled into fists and mouth curved down in a scowl.

"What is this?" he boomed and Blinky visibly shrunk back.

"I was just getting to that, Draal," he said, holding up a finger.

The troll, Draal, looked unimpressed, and Claire gulped as she held Enrique closer.

"Human feet have never sullied the ground of Trollmarket before," Draal said, stalking up to her. "Who are these humans?"

She backed up as Draal approached her, his eyes looking her over as he sniffed the air.

"Believe it or not, she is, um… How do I put this?" Blinky swallowed. "Our new Trollhunter."

Draal's eyes shot open wide, the crowd gasped, and Claire paled. Even the gnomes scurrying on the ground gasped in shock before fleeing into the crowd.

"What? She can't be the Trollhunter!" Draal cried, face contorted with rage. "She's not even a troll!"

His fists flew up and Claire jumped back, holding onto Enrique. Draal slammed the ground and she shrieked while stumbling into Aaarrrgghh's arms as dust and stone shards flew.

"Hey!" Mary shouted and jumped in front of her. "Watch it, bud- Eh, heh, heh…."

Draal's glare sent her friend shrinking and scurrying backwards. All the while, Darci also took up in front of her, even though she was sweating and shaking.

"Amulet chose," Aaarrrgghh stated and Claire glanced up at him as he bore his eyes into Draal.

Draal, in turn, growled and she shrunk even more. Blinky, meanwhile, held up his four hands and said, "Try to remain calm. Destiny is just-"

She didn't listen to the rest. A jab in her side from Darci stole her attention away.

"Try showing them, Claire," Darci said, already ready to take Enrique off her hands.

Claire thought about it for a second, and then she nodded. Giving her baby brother back to her friend, she pulled out the Amulet and looked down to it.

A wave of murmuring filled the air and Claire watched the crowd out of the corner of her eye. A lot of the trolls were whispering to each other, and Draal, himself, was staring incredulously. The disbelief in his eyes quickly turned to rage, however.

"Uh, f-for the glory of Merlin," she incanted, "Daylight is mine to command."

The Amulet lit up and another chorus of gasps erupted from the crowd. In an instant, she felt herself being lifted up and then set back down. Instead of her sneakers touching the cobblestone, however, it was the silver boots of her armor that did.

A soft ringing filled the air from her armor assembling, and she gave a nervous, quivering smile.

The trolls seemed unimpressed.

"A human?" the female troll from earlier said. "Protecting us?"

The reactions weren't as mixed as she'd like them to be. However, they didn't dip down into infuriated as much as they did confusion. Most of the trolls scratched their heads or exchanged whispers with each other. Others gaped and one troll even downright fainted.

Draal, on the other hand, towered over her and cried out, "Bushigal! I am the son of Kanjigar and the Amulet's rightful heir!"

 _Kanjigar? The last Trollhunter? ...Oh… Uh oh._

"Y-You're Kanjigar's son?" she stammered out and Draal scowled. "He's Kanjigar's son?"

Aaarrrgghh nodded and Blinky fiddled with his hands. Her friends, meanwhile, did their usual thing.

"Ooh." Mary winced. "Awkward."

"Yeah, that's… I can see how he has a problem with you," Darci said, shrugging her shoulders.

She narrowed her eyes at them, then turned back to face Draal.

"When my father fell, the honor should have passed to me," he declared and, before she could stop him, he put his hand on the Amulet embedded into her chestplate.

Almost instantaneously, the Amulet lit up with a hum and erupted with a blast of magic. They were both sent flying, Draal landing before the crowd while she landed back in Aaarrrgghh's arms. Both of them stared wide-eyed in shock and surprise, still processing what had just happened.

"Amulet chose," Aaarrrgghh repeated then, this time with a firmer tone.

Before Draal could open his mouth, Blinky stepped forward again and gestured for them to follow. She and her friends obeyed immediately, scurrying behind him with Aaarrrgghh taking up the rear again.

Draal glared at them as they passed. "We'll see what Vendel has to say about this."

"Feel free to fetch him," Blinky said nonchalantly. "In the meanwhile, lots of Trollhunter business to be done." He shooed Draal away, prompting her and her friends to giggle. "Draal, wonderful to see you as always."

Dismissing the troll, Blinky sauntered off, Claire, Darci, and Mary trailing behind. Casting one last look at Draal, Claire gave a nervous smile and wave before following her friends. She prayed that this wouldn't come back to bite her.

* * *

"Hey, Blinky?"

"Yes, Master Claire?"

"So, how do I take the armor off?"

She gestured down her still armor-clad figure, to which Blinky raised an eyebrow, er- three eyebrows.

"The armor reacts to your emotional state," he explained. "When you are at ease, it will retract; but when you are under stress, it will seek to protect you."

She glanced at the Amulet over her heart.

 _Yeah, I guess I'm still reeling from meeting Draal._

"Oh!" Mary suddenly cried out, slamming a fist in her palm. "That's why you suited up during your audition!"

"Huh," she said. "Yeah, I guess so… So, what? How do I get 'at ease'?"

Blinky shrugged. "There are a number of methods: Breathing techniques. Meditation. Stretching."

"Or…." Darci trailed off with a smile and handed Enrique back to her.

"Darci, what-"

Claire stopped and looked down at her baby brother who giggled and blew a raspberry. His tiny hands patted her silver chestplate until they poked at the Amulet. She giggled and held him close until there was a flash of blue.

Claire blinked and stared at Enrique who held the Amulet.

"Called it," Darci said and high-fived Mary.

Blinky rubbed his chin. "Hm, interesting, but effectiv- Master Claire, would you please."

He gestured at Enrique who was nibbling on the Amulet.

"No, hermanito," she scolded. "No comas eso. Don't eat that."

She tried taking the Amulet from him, but she ended up in a miniature tug-of-war match. Enrique wasn't particularly strong, but she didn't want to accidentally hurt him by ripping the Amulet out of his hands.

"Enrique," she warned and pulled just a little harder.

Her baby brother whimpered when she finally managed to take the Amulet from him. As she wiped off his spit on her jeans, though, he started crying; and by crying, she meant wailing. Of course, being in an enclosed tunnel with the entrance far behind them and the exit who-knew-how-far-off, Enrique's cries just echoed and got worse by the second.

"By Deya's grace!" Blinky cried, covering his ears.

"What is that infernal noise!" a voice boomed from the way they'd come.

They all turned and looked down the hall, but Blinky suddenly shouted, "Quickly! Quiet your brother, Master Claire!"

She blinked and looked at him for a moment, confused at his sudden urgency. She relented, though, and turned around to present her backpack to her friends.

"His pacifier!" Claire shouted. "Get it out!"

After a moment, she felt a tug on the zipper and someone rummaging through the baby supplies her dad had given her hours ago. Then, turning around, she found Mary holding up the pacifier to her baby brother.

"Here, Enrique," she offered and her baby brother quieted down, his eyes widening at the sight of the pacifier.

They all breathed a sigh of relief, only to suck in a breath when that booming voice called out again, "Blinkous Galadrigal!"

Turning back the way they came, they watched a tall, white-furred troll come hobbling towards them with a staff of glowing, golden-orange crystal.

"Ah, Vendel," Blinky greeted, voice trembling and smile a little—actually, a lot—to forced.

 _He's not at all nervous._

Claire glanced between the two trolls. Blinky shifted nervously on his feet while the other troll, Vendel, stared him down.

"Blinkous Galadrigal," Vendel drawled condescendingly, frowning the entire time.

She raised an eyebrow. "Blinkous?"

"That is my full name, yes." Blinky bowed his head. "Horrible, I know."

After another moment of tense silence, Vendel said, "I wish to meet the fleshbag supposedly chosen by the Amulet." He turned to her and her friends then, bending down so his face was level with theirs. "I am Vendel, son of Rundle, son of Kilfred."

They all shared looks of concern with each other before Claire cleared her throat. "I'm Claire… Nuñez, uh, daughter of Ophelia and Javier Nuñez."

Vendel looked her over for a moment, scanning her less than troll-like appearance. His frown, of course, deepened when he studied Enrique in her arms. However, before he could say anything, his eyes stopped on the Amulet in her right hand. "So you are the Trollhunter?"

She nodded quietly, face flushing redder by the second.

Nearby, she heard Aaarrrgghh say, "Amulet chose."

Vendel, in turn, raised his head and scoffed. "So Draal tells me. Ridiculous!" He circled around her, hands behind his back. "However, the Amulet has been known to make ill-fated choices." He turned to Blinky. "As you know better than most."

Claire swore that if Blinky could sweat, he'd be sweating right now.

She glanced between the two trolls and then leaned over to Aaarrrgghh. "Uh, what's he talking about?"

"Blinky trained Trollhunter before: Unkar the Unfortunate."

"Uh, the 'Unfortunate'?" Darci whispered next to them.

Aaarrrgghh nodded. "First night out, torn."

"Torn?" Mary whispered. "Torn like he couldn't decide between this or that, or-"

"Torn," he reiterated and made a wringing and ripping gesture with his hands. "Limb from limb."

Darci and Mary looked at her, both of them pale and wide-eyed. She was pretty sure she looked the same, but she was also pretty sure that she was about to have a heart attack and die. Thankfully, before that could happen, Vendel walked past them and said, "Come along. If the Amulet chose true, then the Soothscryer will reveal it."

"Soothscryer?" Darci whispered and they shrugged.

"Please, Vendel," Blinky pleaded. "Master Claire hasn't even an hour of training."

Vendel stared him down and pointed down the tunnel. Then, he started walking, leaving them to either stand there or follow. After a second of sharing concerned looks, they all followed and found Vendel waiting at the end of the tunnel, right in front of a stone bridge arching over a, seemingly, bottomless chasm.

The chasm wasn't what caught their attention, though. What did was the massive arena on the other side. It was like half of a Roman colosseum with higher walls and a lot more orange and red stone than marble white. Statues also topped its walls, standing on pedestals in various poses.

"Whoa," she breathed.

Mary took another photo. "That's pretty cool."

"When you think you've seen it all," Darci mumbled beside her.

They didn't get much time to gawk, however. Vendel was on the move the moment they walked up to him. He crossed the bridge without a word, and they followed just as wordlessly.

"This is, the-"

Blinky didn't finish. Instead, he stopped mid-sentence when Vendel shot a glare at him.

"Enough with the grandeur, Blinkous," Vendel said, standing at the end of the bridge. "Come, Trollhunter, and enter the Hero's Forge."

He gestured at her, and she, with a last look at her friends, stepped forward. Walking past Vendel, she followed a pointed finger from him to two large footprints in the ground, right in front of a plate in the center of the arena, er- Hero's Forge.

"Do I just, uh, stand here?"

Vendel simply stared at her, and she quietly put her feet on the troll-sized footprints. She held up the Amulet, and watched its glow brighten. Markings running across the arena floor lit up red around, and she watched the magic course across the entire Forge until the plate in front of her rose up.

She stared down a stone carving of a giant troll head, its mouth a big 'O' with spinning blades inside of it.

Claire gulped. "Uh… Wh-What now?"

She looked back at Vendel who gestured for her to move forward.

"Put your arm in," he said. "The Soothscryer will determine if you truly are worthy."

At this point, her eyes were probably the size of planets and her face was probably as white as printing paper. "Um… will I… lose my arm?"

"That is part of the test."

"As in I _am_ going to lose it or I _might_ lose it."

Vendel narrowed his eyes. Claire gulped. Again.

Shakily turning back around, she looked up at the 'Soothscryer' and then gazed down the Mr. Uhl-sized pedestal it stood on.

 _There's no way I'm getting up there._

She glanced around, looking for a chair or a box, just anything she could stand on. Unfortunately, the arena was bare, save for the trolls and her friends… hm….

"Hey, guys?" she called out and both her friends perked up. "Could you, uh, give me some help?"

They gave each other a look, then walked over to her.

Darci scratched her head. "So, how're we going to do this?"

"It's like a pyramid," Mary said. "Just hold up her left foot and I'll hold her right foot."

"I didn't do cheerleading, Mary."

"It's easy, Darci."

"Guys?"

"Don't worry, C-Bomb, we've got you."

"Yeah, Claire-Bear."

"Thanks, guys," she said, and then looked down at her little brother. "Hey, do you mind taking Enrique one more time?"

They exchanged looks before Mary took her little brother, seeing as she had more experience in holding people up and avoiding them when they fell.

She looked at them hesitantly, but then yielded. Stepping into Mary's hand, and then Darci's, she was lifted up to the Soothscryer. Glancing back down, she met her baby brother's eyes. They were curious and innocent and she felt guilty at doing all this crazy, life-threatening stuff that might cost him his sister. Nonetheless, however—and also due to Vendel's not-so-subtle coughing—she looked back at the troll machine-relic-thingy.

Claire breathed in. "Okay, here goes nothing."

Slowly, cautiously, and fearfully, she reached into the Soothscryer's rotating-blades-lined mouth. It promptly closed said rotating-blades-lined mouth around her arm.

Claire shrieked and panicked and Darci and Mary screamed. Enrique's pacifier fell out of his mouth as he cried and everything just turned into mess.

"Oh, my God!"

"Claire!"

"Help- Ah!"

She cried out as she fell, the Soothscryer having opened its maw to let her go. So, she fell right back down on her friends; well, on Darci, at least. Mary, fortunately, had moved to the side with Enrique.

Claire blinked and groaned and held up the arm she'd stuck in the Soothscryer to find it still attached to her body.

She sighed. "Gracias a Dios."

He friends sighed with her as well, all of them relieved. Mary took a seat beside them, Enrique in her arms with big eyes and no wailing. Their moment of respite, however, turned tense when Vendel strode over.

He gazed at the Soothscryer, eyeing it for the results of the 'test'. Her heart was thumping in her chest as she waited for him to speak.

"Inconclusive," he hummed and walked away, not even sparing them a glance.

"Wh-What does that mean?" she asked.

"It means, Trollhunter, that there's never been a human to bear the mantle before." Vendel turned and looked at her. "The Soothscryer needs more time to render its judgement."

She stayed on the ground, petrified by his disapproving gaze.

"Let us all hope you live long enough to see."

* * *

 **Claire's gonna live.**

 **How else would I write an awesome fanfic about Trollhunter!Claire?**

 **So, anyways, how'd you like the chapter?**

 **Bad? Good? Eh?**

 **Leave a Comment if you've got thoughts you'd like to share and Subscribe to stay updated.**

 **I'll try and get Chapter 6 out earlier, so, yeah.**

 **Hope to see you all then.**


	6. Of Bullies and Birthright

**Hi, hello. It's me; I'm back.**

 **So, I somehow managed to write an 8k word chapter in five days.**

 **That's totally awesome, and actually pretty terrifying now that I look back on it.**

 **Lots of pre-Jlaire awkward moments in here, as there always should have been.**

 **And I don't really know what else to say besides, have a good read.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.  
**

* * *

 _"Let us all hope you live long enough to see it."_

Claire stared down at the Amulet in her hands for the thousandth time in the past five days. No matter how many times she looked at it, there was always something new. Whether that was the glowing writing or the ticking machinery, or the fact that it represented a new world of trolls, and now a whole future of life-threatening danger, there was always something more to it.

Sighing, she stuffed it back into her backpack and looked on ahead. The forest around them was shrouded in darkness and fog, lit dimly by the moonlight. High above in the starry sky, the moon hung and glowed and watched them as they made their way through forest.

It was sometime past midnight—well, she guessed it was. After Mary's picture-spree in Trollmarket, Darci's phone had gone from something-percent to zero. And seeing as Mary's phone was crushed under a truck in downtown Arcadia, and her own phone hadn't gotten much charge during the day, they really didn't have any other way of telling the time.

So, in the interest of getting home fast and safe, they'd asked Aaarrrgghh for a ride. That was why they were all on his back, letting him gently deliver them through the night.

Claire yawned and looked to her friends, both of them fast asleep; the same with Enrique, who snored softly in the baby carrier she wore. While Darci and Mary lay snuggled into Aaarrrgghh's back fur, she'd taken to sitting on his shoulder. Even though her head bobbed and wavered from drowsiness, she thought it was better than accidentally squishing her baby brother by rolling over.

"We're here," Aaarrrgghh suddenly rumbled.

She blinked away the drowsiness from her eyes to stare at her backyard. "Alright… thanks…."

She turned her eyes to her friends then. The day had been nothing but exhausting for all of them—what with Bular chasing them down, discovering Heartstone Trollmarket, and meeting Draal—so she wasn't too surprised when they fell asleep to Aaarrrgghh's movements as he carried them on his back.

Claire sighed and reached over to her friends. Giving them a light shake, she whispered, "Hey, guys. We're here."

Darci groaned and Mary mumbled something. She shook them again and Darci got up, yawning and stretching. Mary, on the other hand, rolled over the side of Aaarrrgghh's back and plummeted to the ground.

Claire winced and Darci jumped at Mary's yelp. Then, they peered down at their tired, perplexed friend.

"Wha…." Mary groaned.

Getting off Aaarrrgghh, they helped her up and swiped the grass off her clothes. After Aaarrrgghh handed them their things—plus a small bag of books on troll lore that Blinky had given her—he bid them farewell. They said their goodbyes and watched him disappear into the night, leaving them to make the final part of their trek inside.

"Alright," Claire mumbled and shouldered her backpack. "Let's go, girls."

Yawning, they dragged themselves across her backyard and around the side of her house towards the front door.

Claire rummaged through her backpack, looking for her house key. Eventually, she found it amongst her belongings and pulled it out, but then dropped it when she ran into Mary.

"Mary?" she called after picking up the key. "Are you okay?"

Her friend stood still, petrified. She barely even noticed her trembling ever-so-slightly. Glancing at Darci, she only got a shrug and a yawn.

"Mary?"

"Guys," their friend breathed and pointed at three cars in the driveway.

The first was her dad's, parked up close to the garage. The second was most certainly Detective Scott's patrol car, sitting right next to her dad's. And the third was Mary's mom's car. All three of them sitting there could mean only one thing.

"Oh." They all paled. "Oh no."

* * *

The sight that greeted them matched the shouting they heard outside. Their parents were gathered around the living room table, faces red and hands either balled into fists or pointing fingers at each other. They were too busy in their shouting match to hear the door open and close, but her own parents did notice them peeking into the room.

"Claire!" her mom cried out. She pushed past Mary's parents and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Where have you been?"

Her face was still red and scrunched in anger. Claire swallowed, but otherwise said nothing.

What could she say? That she'd been chased around by a Gumm-Gumm troll and escaped by going to a secret city underneath Arcadia?

"We were downtown!" Mary blurted out, then stood rigid when her parents looked at her.

Detective Scott, who was also dressed up in uniform, stared them down. "All day?"

None of them said a thing. Not at first. Eventually, though, they started babbling and mumbling and shooting looks at each other. In the end, they left it to Mary to 'explain their story'.

"Y-Yeah," Mary said, hands on her hips, "we were downtown at… American Eagle."

Her own dad raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were buying smoothies?"

Claire swallowed, suddenly remembering her conversation with her dad when he'd dropped Enrique off with them after the auditions.

"We did," she said and glanced at her friends out of the corner of her eye. "B-But then we went to American Eagle, because…-"

"There was a sale!" Darci interjected. "There was a sale and we… decided to… go check it out."

She gave an innocent smile, but Claire could see the fear in her eyes. Her father, however, didn't seem to notice. Instead, he cocked his head and raised an eyebrow.

"And you didn't bother to tell any of us about your detour?" he asked.

"Uh… well, you see…." Claire shifted nervously. "That's the, uh, thing… we were going to do that, but… our phones… died."

All of their parents exchanged suspicious looks. She half expected them to huddle up like the football team and talk about whether or not they were lying. They didn't, though, but instead had Detective Scott continue.

"So your phones died," he said. " _All of your phones._ "

Claire looked at Darci and Mary, and they looked at her. Slowly, they nodded together. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could, Mary blurted out, "Except mine!"

Her and Darci shot her looks saying, 'What the heck, Mary!' and she shot one back saying, 'Trust me, guys!'.

"So, why didn't you call us then?" Mary's mother spoke up then, and their friend scratched the back of her head.

Flushed red, she answered, "Well, that's also why we just got back… I… lost my phone at the store."

She twiddled her thumbs and acted guilty, even though it was Bular who'd smashed her phone under a truck. Both her and Darci exchanged looks and then glanced at their parents who looked at each other dubiously.

"You lost your phone?" her mom repeated.

Mary nodded slowly. "Yeah…."

Her parents sighed and her mom pressed her fingers to her forehead. Meanwhile, her own and Darci's parents looked to them, respectively.

"And what's your excuse?" Detective Scott asked.

"Well, I…." Claire rubbed the back of her neck too. "Remember how I was in a rush this morning?" She looked at her parents and both shared a nod. "I might have… forgotten to charge my phone."

After a moment, they seemed to buy that. Detective Scott, though, stayed firm and tall, dwarfing Darci with his height and his uniform. "And what about you, Darci?"

"I was… taking pictures of… the cheerleading squad." She looked down. "I didn't, uh, think about my battery life until after Mary lost her phone."

Her dad stared at her for a couple more minutes, but then he sighed too and pulled her into a hug. Darci gave a squeak, but stayed silent as her dad held her.

"Don't do that again, Darci," he said, his wife coming around to embrace her daughter too.

"Listen to your father, Darci," her mom said, voice cracking and tears falling. "Please don't scare us like that again."

Claire watched Darci look up at them in surprise, and then tear up as she hugged them back. At the same time, Claire watched Mary's family come together into a hug. Mary, in the middle, looked embarrassed, but not angry. Eventually, she just gave in and let her parents crush her in their arms.

Then, her own mom stepped up and put her hands on her shoulders. "Claire, you know that there were other ways to contact us, right?"

"I-"

"You could have gone to city hall or asked the store clerks to use their phone-"

"We didn't think of that," she said, looking away. "Sorry."

There was silence for a second, and then her mom stood up. "It's alright. Just… next time, be smarter. We were terrified that something had happened to you and your brother."

Her mom looked down at her, arms crossed and disappointment written all over her face. Her father shared a similar look, but he bent down onto one knee and put a hand on her shoulder.

"But it's alright now, mija," he said and pulled her in for a quick hug. "How about we get Enrique to bed. ¿Sí?"

"Sí, papá," she said and undid the straps of Enrique's carrier.

She kept her head down the whole time she handed her baby brother over to her parents. The only thing she saw was the floor and Darci's and Mary's sympathetic faces out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, I think that was enough excitement for one night," Detective Scott said. "I think we'll be heading home now."

"Us too," Mary's mother added.

Her friends shot her smiles and she tried smiling back, but they tackled her in a group hug before she could.

"See you at school tomorrow, C-Bomb."

"Yeah, see ya, Claire-Bear."

She hugged them back and flashed them a smile as they left. "See you guys tomorrow."

Then, they were gone, and she was left alone in her home. Her dad had already gone upstairs to tuck Enrique in, and her mom had already disappeared into her office. She could hear 'Councilwoman Nuñez' calling everyone and telling them that she was safe at home and to call off the search.

Without much else to do, Claire sighed and grabbed her backpack off the ground. Hauling it up the stairs, she made her way to her bedroom. Within moments of getting inside, she got in her pajamas and turned off the lights.

She let the soft glow of the Amulet lull her to sleep.

* * *

The next day, Claire arrived later at school than she normally did. She blamed it on being chased around last night and getting home late. It was a pretty good excuse.

Most people didn't seem to notice her trudging into the courtyard, though. In fact, a lot of the students were crowded around the auditorium doors.

 _That's weird._

Claire shrugged at the sight and made her way to her locker. However, she didn't get within a meter of it before she was tackled in a hug.

"C-Bomb!"

"Claire, did you see?"

She blinked and looked at Darci and Mary. "Um… What?"

They shared a look before grinning and dragging her over to the auditorium. By now, the other students had cleared away, letting them walk right up to it.

Mary pointed at a piece of paper taped to the door. "Look!"

Claire raised an eyebrow and scanned over the paper. It took her a second to process that it was a listing for the cast of Romeo and Juliet. It took her another second to process that her name was listed under Juliet.

When it finally registered in her head, though, she gasped and took a step back. With eyes wide and jaw dropped, she felt joy bubble up in her and spill out in jubilant giggles. Her friends joined in, wrapping their arms around her.

They jumped in place together, laughing and squealing and celebrating until a larger boy in a sweater came waltzing over. He didn't pay them any mind, but Claire took notice of how he scanned the list.

 _Where have I seen him before?_

She watched him study the roster until his eyes fell on a name somewhere on the main cast. Then, he gasped and slapped two hands on his face.

"Jimbo!" he cried out and swiveled around. "You got the part!"

Darci and Mary had gone quiet then, listening in as the larger boy called out to someone by the lockers. That someone turned out to be a familiar boy in a blue jacket.

"What?" Jim said, walking over. "I what?"

"You're Romeo, dude!"

The other boy pointed at Jim's name that sat next to the part of Romeo, which was right above hers as Juliet.

"Well what do you know," Mary said and nudged her in the side. "Guess we found your Romeo."

It was just a joke. Just a tease. But Claire couldn't help but turn red and shoot a glare at Mary, and another at Darci who giggled uncontrollably. Then, she had to look at Jim who, of course, had heard them.

"Um, what was that?" he asked.

"Nothing!" she said, a little too quickly and loudly. "Nothing at all!"

He gave her a dubious look and she held onto an awkward smile, hoping that she might be able to ward off any suspicion that her friends were ensuing that she had some kind of crush on him… because she didn't. She really didn't.

"Okay…."

 _Crisis averted. Good job out there, Claire._

Suddenly, there was a nudge in her side and she pulled herself out of her mental celebration to look at Darci. The mentioned friend gestured at Jim who was rubbing the back of his neck and shifting on his feet nervously.

 _Yeah, sure, ignore your co-star. Great way of hitting it off… Er- getting to know him… Er- Abort! Abort! Abort!_

"C-Bomb, you doing alright?"

She looked at Mary with wide eyes and Mary blinked back at her, something between surprise and concern and general confusion written all over her face. Before she got asked what was wrong by her friends who would definitely continue insinuating that she had a crush on the boy she was talking to, she focused back on Jim. "Um, what? Sorry, I zoned out."

Hearing that, he perked up and gave a bashful smile. "I, well… I was wondering when auditions were."

"Oh," she said and looked at the roster, "well our first rehearsal is tomorrow at eleven. I don't know about future ones; I'll ask Ms. Janeth about it in Drama."

"Wait, rehearsal's tomorrow? On Saturday?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No!" he blurted out. "I mean, no. No hay problema."

He shot those finger guns at her again and she gave them a glance. He dropped both of them and turned red, to which she smiled and snorted.

"I see you've taken my advice, Young Atlas," a new, rather eloquent voice said suddenly.

They all turned around to find one Mr. Strickler standing there, a cup of coffee in one hand and a warm smile on his face. "Good morning."

They all gave nervous greetings to their World History teacher, but he didn't seem to mind. Instead, his eyes moved to the cast listing they had been looking at.

"I didn't realize you'd partaken in the play, Jim," he said, clear surprise on his face. "I would've thought you were already too busy with your home life for extracurricular activities."

She glanced at Jim out of the corner of her eye and watched him rub the back of his neck.

"Well, I thought that I should, uh, you know, try something I like to relax."

The smile he gave trembled and the smile Mr. Strickler wore was made of one-hundred-percent amusement. The World History teacher's eyes also glanced at her for a split-second. Why was that?

"I see," he said and uncapped the pen he always carried around. "Oh, and have you spoken to your mother yet about what we talked about?"

Jim tilted his head, then perked up. "Oh, right. Yeah, I did. She said tonight would be okay for you to, uh, meet with her."

He glanced over at Mary, fear in his eyes. She really didn't blame him; Mary was a pretty big gossipmonger. She'd probably need to make her swear not to talk about him and Mr. Strickler.

"Wonderful," the mentioned World History teacher said and checked his watch. "Now, I think you should all be on your way. Classes should be starting shortly."

They checked their phones at that, and then they scrambled to get going.

* * *

It was later in the day, after her parents had left with Enrique for another meeting, when Claire found herself back in Heartstone Trollmarket. After finishing her pile of homework and promising to be back by eleven, her parents had let her go out with Darci and Mary again. Of course, they had taken a detour downtown by going down into the canal to meet Blinky and Aaarrrgghh for her first, official training session.

So, here she was, standing in the center of the Hero's Forge. Donned in her armor and standing still, she waited as Blinky fixed her stance.

"Wider stance," he said, circling her. "Keep your frame- No. No, that's good." She watched him rub his chin and hum. "Yes… Yes, alright, fine." He tapped the hilt of her sword. "Raise your sword, Master Claire. Mm-hmm." He nodded and circled her again. "Head up. Chin out. Stomach in."

She obeyed and memorized the posture she held before waiting for further instructions. Blinky only hummed, though, and kept on walking around her, studying her stance for any faults. As he continued doing so, she glanced to the sidelines where Darci, Mary, and Aaarrrgghh were watching.

Aaarrrgghh was busy eating something… she really didn't want to know what. Darci, herself, was doing some of her homework and glancing up every now and then. And Mary busied herself with some homework, social media, and occasionally taking pictures of her all suited up and ready for training.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn back to Blinky when he slammed a fist into his palm. "The Trollhunter lives and dies by three rules. Rule number one: always be afraid."

She raised an eyebrow. "Afraid?"

"Be afraid," Aaarrrgghh rumbled behind her from the sidelines.

She glanced back at him, and then back at Blinky. Memories of Thursday night flashed through her head and she took a breath. "Uh, I don't think that'll be a problem- Woah!" She barely dodged the stone Blinky threw at her. "Hey!"

"See!" Blinky declared, ignoring her outraged tone. "Fear is good! Keeps us alert. Keeps us on guard. Makes us vigilant."

She watched him for a second, but then conceded to his reasoning. "I guess that makes sense- Hey!"

Blinky threw another stone at her. And another. And another. And- Well, he just wasn't stopping. Then, he did, but only to circle her again as he continued lecturing, "A hero is not she who is fearless, but she who is not stopped by it."

Claire furrowed her brow. "Got it."

"Rule number two: always finish the fight," he declared. "An opponent must be given no mercy."

She tilted her head at that one.

 _Wait, does that mean-_

She didn't get to finish her thought. Blinky threw another stone at her before she could. And then he through another. And another. Oh, God, it was happening again.

Her troll mentor tossed more and more stones at her, never ceasing or slowing down. She managed to block a couple of them with her sword and a lot of luck, and the rest she managed to dodge. Blinky, meanwhile, was laughing maniacally like some kind of supervillain and she was starting to have second thoughts about training.

"Can we slow down, please?" she asked desperately, backing up further and further from him.

She was breathing heavily by the time he ran out of stones to throw. Somewhere on the sidelines she heard Darci and Mary cheering her on. And then they were yelling at her to dodge for some reason-

Another stone hit her, this time from behind. Glancing back, she saw Aaarrrgghh acting innocent and both her friends trying to stifle their giggles.

"Ow," she mumbled and got up. "So, always finish the fight?"

"Yes," Blinky said. "The Trollhunter must always vanquish his opponent through death."

Claire blinked. "Wh-Whoa, okay. That's… That's pretty harsh."

"Ours is an unforgiving world, Master Claire."

She stayed quiet after that, mind racing as she tried coming to terms with rule number two.

 _I don't want to kill anyone._

She'd barely known Blinky and Aaarrrgghh a week, and the rest of trollkind for a day. Yet, she still understood that they were people. They were alive. They had lives and she didn't want to take those from them.

"Master Claire?"

She blinked again and refocused on her teacher. "I, er- Sorry."

She raised her sword and put her attention back on Blinky.

"As I was saying. Rule number three: When in doubt, always go for the Gronk-nuks."

She tilted her head. "The Gronk-nuks?"

Blinky stomped the floor twice then, and a massive blade sprung from the ground. She yelped and backpedaled, ending up sprawled on the ground with the blade aimed precariously where her pelvis had been before. "¡Dios mío!"

Nearby, Aaarrrgghh cringed and shivered. "The horror."

She shared the same expression as her friends: eyes wide, mouths dropped, and faces baffled.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" Mary cried out then, jumping to her feet with hands in the air. "You're telling us that you have a whole rule that's, literally, just about kicking people in the gnards?"

They all turned their eyes to Blinky who simply and shortly answered, "Yes."

They stared at Blinky in disbelief, and then Claire sighed.

 _This just gets crazier and crazier._

"Okay, so… what's next-"

She was cut off by the sound of the Forge's gate lifting. Everyone jumped, and they turned to watch as a familiar, blue troll came sauntering in.

"Ah, so the Trollhunter's training begins," Draal said, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.

Even standing a couple meters away, Claire could see the scowls and sneers on her friends' faces. She would've joined them if her fear hadn't won out with Draal approaching her and Blinky, his massive form dwarfing her.

"I thought the great Trollhunter might accept my services as a sparring partner," Draal said, giving a bow before punching an open palm. "Part of your training regiment, isn't it?"

In all honesty, she wanted to wipe that smug grin off his face. However, all that anger and resentment was buried under fear and fright and the need to politely decline his request. Fortunately, Blinky answered before she could blurt out some incoherent sentence.

"In due time perhaps," her teacher said.

As he turned to take her away, though, another voice rang out from somewhere high up. "Why wait?"

She looked for the voice's owner and found none other than Vendel watching them from a referee booth-looking room.

"I am eager to see your charge demonstrate her mettle," he said.

The look of derision he shot them grated on her nerves and she grit her teeth. On the sidelines, she noticed Darci and Mary sharing concerned looks. Aaarrrgghh, all the while, was giving a worried one to Blinky who, beside her, wore a face of uncertainty.

She waited for him to speak up, but Blinky stayed quiet. Judging from the look on his face, he was trying, and failing, to find the right words to get her out of a fight with Draal. Unfortunately for them, Vendel seemed to take his silence as a 'yes'.

"Let them spar!" Vendel declared, a wide, sadistic smile on his face.

She paled as Draal walked to the opposite side of the Forge, chuckling under his breath.

"No harm in it," he said with clear sarcasm dripping from his voice.

She looked to Blinky, hoping he had some solution to her current predicament. However, she, instead, found him walking off to where Blinky, Aaarrrgghh, and her friends sat.

"Hey! Wait, Blinky!" she called, running after him. "What do I do?"

He clenched a fist, not even turning to her. "Hit him as hard as you can."

Blinky kept on walking, but she reached for his arm. Grabbing it, she stopped him and forced him to look back at her.

"No, no. I mean, how do I fight him?" she asked. "How do I even fight? I've never fought anyone before."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ever?"

"No, of course not!" she practically shouted. "I don't fight people! My mom would kill me if I ever got into a fight!"

"But, you fought Bular."

"What? No I didn't!" She threw her arms in the air, but then lowered her voice. "I hit him once and then ran away!"

She stole a glance at Draal, making sure he hadn't heard her. The mentioned troll only smirked at her and punched his palm again.

"But you did strike him!" Blinky stated and grabbed her by the shoulders. "That proves that the fight is within you, Master Claire." She stared at him, unsure, but he continued nonetheless. "Trust yourself! One hit!"

They both stared awkwardly at the single fist he held up.

"One hit," he repeated and smiled, "and you will be changed forever!"

He turned her around before she could argue and made her face her opponent. Draal, standing on the other side of the arena, popped his neck and his knuckles.

 _O-Okay. You got this, Claire. Just… remember your stance._

She took to her side of the arena, planting herself on the stone.

 _Feet shoulder-width apart. Head up. Chin out. Stomach in._

She watched Draal anxiously, but forced herself to not tremble beneath her armor.

"Begin!" Vendel declared.

Draal roared then. He beat his chest and roared before charging like a gorilla. She stood her ground and raised her sword up.

"One hit," she murmured as he grew closer.

Claire didn't really know what to expect from a troll. With Bular, he'd relied on trying to smash them with a truck and his swords. Draal, however, wielded no weapons and had only his fists. Which probably meant he'd try to throw some punches-

Suddenly, Draal leapt into the air and came back down, tucked up into a ball that kept on rolling across the arena floor. Her eyes shot wide open and she jumped out of the way with a cry.

She hit the floor and looked back to find Draal racing up the side of the arena wall like a bowling ball in a skate park. Unlike a bowling ball in a skate park, however, he kept on going until he was at the ceiling, at which point he came down like a bomb.

For a split-second, she just stood there, petrified. Then, adrenaline kicked in and she ran away as he came down with his fists. The ground quaked and dust clouds surrounded her. She glanced around, searching for her opponent. Just as she turned right, though, he came from the left, head-butting her.

A puff of blue wisps erupted from the impact and she flew with a cry, then landed with a grunt. Everything was numb for a second, and then everything became sore as she tried getting up. "O-Okay. T-Timeout, por favor."

Planting her sword into the ground, she tried using it like a crutch. However, her eyes spied Draal rushing her and she pushed herself away, only for his fist to meet her face. She brought her arms up to protect herself, but he didn't relent.

Darci and Mary were yelling and shouting from the sidelines, trying to give out pointers. She couldn't actually process what they were saying, however. All of her focus was on trying to hold her ground, but she was failing miserably.

A tiny bit of hope lit up in her when there was a pause between blows, but it died out when she felt Draal pick her up by the back of her collar. A yelp escaped her and she cried out when he flung her across the arena, towards the edge of the chasm.

"Claire!"

"Help her!"

She barely heard her friends calling out and screaming at Blinky and Aaarrrgghh to do something. Neither of them moved, though. They only watched as she picked herself up and looked at Draal who stalked towards her.

She swallowed and almost crawled backwards, but stopped when she felt the ground end and the chasm begin. There was a flash of light behind Draal, and she watched her sword vanish into blue wisps.

Before she could get away, Draal grabbed her by her torso and held her up with a single hand. She yelped and grunted and then screamed when he held her over the chasm's edge.

Darci and Mary were screaming now, vainly trying to get Draal to set her back down.

 _Come on! There's gotta be some way to win!_

"I've waited my entire life to inherit the Amulet," Draal sneered and she glanced back at where Daylight had disappeared.

 _My sword is gone, but… it always comes back when I put the armor back on. What if it…._

She held onto Draal's wrist with her left hand, but with her right she reached down and focused. There was tug in her gut and a blossoming of power in her heart.

"I can wait until you fall in- What?"

He gasped as she summoned Daylight into her free hand. In that still moment, with everyone gaping and Draal stunned, she cried out and swung.

There was a snarl and a blur silver and white, then Daylight was caught in Draal's horns. She watched him with wide, terrified eyes and he watched her with infuriated ones. Then, he flicked his head and disarmed her, sending Daylight away before he squeezed.

A scream tore out of her throat and she banged on his hand, trying to make him stop.

"I can wait until you fall in battle!" he reiterated before dropping her back on the ground. "I suspect I won't have to wait very long."

She tried getting up, but every heavy, laboring breath she took made her ribs burst into flames. The only thing she could even manage to do was look up at Draal and meet his scathing gaze.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down and live, worm."

* * *

"He was right. What in the world was I thinking?"

Darci and Mary both shared looks as they helped her limp up the steps leading to Trollmarket's entrance. Neither of them said anything, however, and she let them stay quiet. She really didn't want to hear what anyone wanted to say, right now. All she cared about was getting home and lying down.

"Claire," Aaarrrgghh rumbled behind them, but she didn't spare the gentle giant of a troll a look.

And she didn't spare Blinky a look either when he spoke up, "I understand you're upset, Master Claire, but you've had not a moment's training."

She kept ignoring him as her friends helped her up one of the large crystals of the spiral staircase leading up to the surface. Blinky didn't seem to take the hint, though, and pressed on, "There's no shame in what transpired."

"Really?" she snapped at him. "I guess you didn't see me getting pummeled back there."

She glared at him, but the looks of hurt and guilt on both trolls' faces soon softened her expression. However, the resentment in her still burned and she pulled the Amulet out of her pocket.

"I don't know if Draal should be the Trollhunter or not," she said and gave it one final look, "but I know I'm not."

She tossed the Amulet to them. It bounced off the ground and rolled for a few inches before it toppled over. Turning, she gestured for her friends to help her up the next step.

"Master Claire, despite whatever doubts you may have about the Amulet's choice, it is now bonded to you."

She turned back to him with narrowed eyes, but they widened when the Amulet flew into her hands on its own, like a yo-yo she'd flung and reeled back.

"This is a mantle you cannot refuse," he claimed, solemnly.

She looked back at him, and then closed her eyes before dropping the Amulet. The sound of it bouncing down the steps they'd ascended rang in her ears as she left. "I'm sorry, Blinky."

* * *

Blinky's words rang in her head. They were powerful, hitting her hard in the gut. All she'd really known about mantles and burdens were the kind that her mom wanted her to bear. That just made her want to drop it even more.

However, Blinky's words weren't just powerful. They were also true, because when she and her friends had arrived at her home, the Amulet had been sitting on the hallway table. She'd promptly thrown it away with a glare and a scowl.

Then, though, when they'd gone into her room, it was on her desk. Darci dropped it in the trashcan and stacked some books on top of it. They'd heard it humming and found it on her pillow a second later.

After her friends had left, she'd found it in the bathroom. Then, she found it in her soup. And under the TV. And in her drawers. As well as in her backpack, notebook, purse, and Enrique's diaper bin.

She'd tried getting rid of it in so many ways too. First, it was just throwing it away like she'd already tried. Didn't work. Next, she tried throwing it over the fence. It flew back and hit her in the back of the neck. Her final attempt had been with putting it in a shoebox and hiding it in the basement before she went to bed. The Amulet showed back up in her underwear drawer when she woke up the next morning.

So, finally, she'd relented and now it was sitting in her back pocket while she stood on stage.

"Deny and refuse; but he can't deny it," Ms. Janeth said, wagging a pencil around as she directed them. "But Romeo can't be a Montague, which means that Juliet…."

Her drama teacher gestured at her and she finished, "And I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Exactly." Ms. Janeth laughed and then looked at the other lead. "Jim?"

Jim, though, wasn't paying much attention—as far as she could tell. His head was down, but his eyes weren't on the script he held.

At Ms. Janeth's call, though, he straightened up. "Huh?"

"Or, if thou wilt not, be sworn my love…."

"Right. No, I-I got it," he said. "Love, deny, refuse. I'm on it."

Ms. Janeth looked unimpressed. "Okay, then. Let's take it from 'Wherefore art….'"

She watched her look down at her clipboard, but then she turned her eyes to Jim. He was scanning his script, trying to find the specific line Ms. Janeth wanted him to read.

"You okay?" she asked and he perked up again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said. "Totally fine… How about you?"

She tried flashing a friendly smile, but memories of getting beaten up by Draal and trying to get rid of the Amulet filled her head.

"...Not so good." She rubbed her arm and sighed. "Sorry, I've got a lot on my plate, right now."

The usual, awkward smile he held dropped and suddenly there was sympathy in his eyes.

"Oh… well, I get that… I mean, I guess I've got some things going on too."

 _Can't be as bad as being destined to risk your life for a secret race of trolls that don't actually care if you live or die._

She was going to ask him what he meant, but Ms. Janeth suddenly called out, "Alright, Alright! Act two, scene two, line thirty-three!"

They glanced at each other and then down at their scripts. Though, she stole a glance at Jim as she recited her line. "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?"

* * *

"So, Claire…." She looked up from packing her backpack to Jim, who stood by with a hand on the back of his neck. "G-Good rehearsal, right?"

She smiled. "Well, you could be a little more convincing as Romeo."

He visibly tensed up and she held a hand over her mouth, trying and failing to stifle the giggles that bubbled up in her. He looked away bashfully and she sighed.

"I know that we don't know each other that well… but…." She tucked some hair behind her ear. "We're going to be spending a lot of time together, so… you said that you had some things going on too?"

He looked caught off guard and she hid her smile as she slung her backpack on.

"W-Well, you see… So Mr. Strickler, he…." he swallowed and took a moment to collect his words. "He kinda came over to my house on Thursday."

"What? Really?" she asked as they walked to the gym/auditorium exit.

"Yeah, he wanted to talk with my mom about me not paying attention in class."

She raised an eyebrow, and then remembered Monday's lesson on the Peloponnesian War.

"Well, considering how you answered his question last Monday."

"What?"

"Mr. Strickler asked you if you agreed on 'Herodotus' opinions on war'," she said, making a mock impression of the World History teacher.

Jim cracked a smile and laughed; which prompted her to also laugh with him.

"Oh, yeah," he said and opened the door for her. "Well, that's actually when he asked to see my mom. He wanted to talk to her about our home situation and all."

She shot him a quizzical look. "Your home situation?"

"My mom works double shifts at the clinic, so I've got to cook her lunch and dinner and leave out some breakfast for her when she wakes up after I leave."

They stopped under the shade of the locker area's awning and she watched him count off his chores on his hand. The fact that he cooked for him and his mom surprised her, but when he kept on going past that, all she could do was just stand there and steadily widen her eyes.

 _He cleans their house, fixes anything broken, cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and he also does some car work. Geez, Jim, I didn't know you were that much of a handyman._

"You do all of that?" she asked and he nodded while they moved on towards their lockers.

"Yeah," he said. "My mom's usually exhausted when she gets home, so I just take care of everything else."

She gave a nod in understanding, but then frowned when she thought about a missing person in his family. "What about your dad?"

As soon as she popped the question out, Jim froze up. She might've kept on walking if she didn't notice his usually bashful and blushing face darken, as if a shadow had just draped itself over him.

"He's not around anymore."

Jim turned to his locker and she stood there with wide, alarmed eyes.

"O-Oh… Sorry."

 _Wow. Great job in getting to know your co-lead, Claire._

"It's… It's alright," he said, offering a smile. "It isn't your fault he got up and left when I was five."

He shoved a book into his locker with a little too much force and she swallowed.

 _I never thought I'd see him this… bitter._

"Anyways, um, what about you?"

His bashfulness was back as he rubbed the back of his neck. She was hesitant to answer, mostly because she was a little afraid that she'd ruined their… friendship?

Was it a friendship? They'd talked to each other about four or five times, so… she guessed they were friends.

"Well, I've just been dealing with-" _Trolls._ "Responsibilities."

"Like what?" he asked, innocently.

She really didn't want to lie to him. Jim was just so… nice and kind and after his hearing about his dad… she just didn't want to betray his trust, even if it was with something as crazy and ludicrous as an entire hidden world of trolls.

Luckily for her, a larger boy—Toby, Jim's friend, if she remembered—suddenly barreled into her and pushed her aside. She gave a yelp and Toby gave a "sorry" before he turned to Jim. Her co-lead's face contorted into anger before it became concern. "Toby?"

"Dude, you gotta get out of here!"

"What? Why?"

"Remember how you were supposed to fight Steve last Friday?"

Jim gave him a quizzical look, and then he paled. Claire, completely out of the loop, tilted her head and looked between the two boys.

"Um, what's he talking about?" she asked.

She watched him raise a finger, and then drop it as he got paler. She might've asked why if Steve Palchuk hadn't pushed her out of his way and marched up into Jim's face.

"Where have you been? I scheduled your butt-whooping for yesterday, jerk-face." He jabbed Jim with a finger, forcing to back up against the lockers. "And you didn't show. Tick-tock, remember?"

Claire looked between them, outrage and fear battling inside of her. She was angry that Steve was openly threatening Jim right in front of her. Yet, she was also scared because Steve was on the football team and was at least a head or two higher than both her and Jim. He was also known for winning fights, so there was that too.

"Sorry, Steve, but I was busy doing important things," Jim said and sighed. "Look, I'm really not in the mood to do this, right now."

Steve, though—being the absolute butt he was—just blew him off.

"Duh! Nobody's ever in the mood to get their face bashed in," he said, matter-of-factly, "but that's what's going to happen, unless you wanna back down."

People were gathering around now. Other students from other Saturday activities at school. Some of Steve's thugs—she couldn't comprehend why anyone would be friends with him—stood by with crossed arms.

"Claire." She turned and found Darci and Mary behind her. "Come on, let's get out of here before this gets ugly."

Both of her friends, whom had probably been waiting for her to get out of rehearsal, gestured for her to follow. Yet, she just looked at them, and then looked back at Jim.

Her eyes almost bugged out when she saw him on his hands and knees, as if he were bowing to Steve. She glared at the bully as he laughed, and then she met Jim's gaze.

He was looking at her out of the corner of his eyes, something between shame and fear showing in them. She shook her head at him.

 _This isn't right. It's not- It's not fair._

Before she, or anyone, could do anything else, Jim stood up. And Steve shoved him against the lockers. She sucked in a breath when Steve swung a right hook, and she held onto it when Jim dodged it, and then next punch, as well as the third.

"Keep still so I can punch your face!" Steve growled.

If the events playing out before her were a movie, then she was on the edge of her seat. Steve chased Jim around the locker area, yelling and swinging while the scrawnier boy jumped over benches and zipped around poles.

As they kept going, though, she started to see white horns instead of blonde hair and silver armor instead of a blue jacket. Suddenly, she was Jim and Steve was Draal.

She already knew how the fight ended.

Jim managed to dodge two more punches before Steve got him with a third one, right on the jaw.

She gasped; and her Amulet rang.

The world stood still for a moment, and she glanced down to her pocket where a blue glow emitted.

"Stay down and live," Steve said. _"Worm."_

She balled her hands into fists and quickly marched over. Any other time, she would've laughed at the way Steve gaped when she stepped in front of him, arms out to shield Jim.

"Leave him alone, Steve."

He ignored her, though, and just pushed her to the side. She caught her footing before she tripped, though, and jumped right back in.

"Hey!" Steve shouted.

"Claire," Jim whispered behind her and she glanced over her shoulder as he stood up. "Y-You should go."

She narrowed her eyes. "No." People were whispering as she turned back to Steve, shooting a glare at him that could've melted through steel. "Leave him alone."

"Ah, come on!" the bully whined. "Why're you protecting him!"

"Because I hate bullies," she snapped back. "Now go away, Steve. I'm not asking twice."

"Yeah!"

Suddenly, Darci and Mary were standing beside her. She let her arms drop, but kept her hands clenched.

Steve still seemed unimpressed. "Oh, yeah? What're you gonna do? Hit me?"

He grabbed her shoulder, intent on shoving her out of the way again. She held her ground, though, and looked him in the eye. The world slowed down to a standstill and she eyed his free hand that was curled into a fist.

 _"Rule number three: when in doubt, always go for the Gronk-nuks."_

Everything happened so fast. She barely registered shooting her right leg up to knee Steve in the groin. The only thing she processed was the sudden shifting of the crowd's faces from worry to shock.

A high pitched squeal echoed throughout the locker area and Steve dropped to the ground, curling up into a fetal position as he held his crotch.

And then everyone cheered.

Claire blinked, staring at the downed bully, and then she turned to Darci and Mary who both looked on incredulously. They stayed silent for a moment, to stunned to react to the cheers and applause.

Then, her friends grinned.

"Oh. Em. Gee."

"That was amazing, Claire!"

"I can't believe you just did that, C-Bomb!"

"Don't mess with Claire-Bear, loser!"

Both of her friends moved from praising her to taunting the whimpering Steve then. However, she didn't pay them any attention. Instead, she turned around and faced Jim who also wore a face of awe.

"I- Uh, er- You- Eh…." He closed his mouth and turned bright red, then he tried again. "Th-Thanks for saving me, Claire."

"Yeah," she said and smiled. "No problem-"

"What is going on out here!"

Everyone quieted down as Ms. Janeth scanned over the crowd of students. Claire, herself, froze and watched as her drama teacher locked onto Steve who still lay in a fetal position on the ground.

"What in heaven's name happened to him?" she asked.

Everyone exchanged looks.

"Steve, uh, tripped," Jim's friend, Toby, said.

"He tripped onto his crotch," Mary added. "Er- He tripped on a bench. He tripped on a bench and hit his crotch… on the bench."

Ms. Janeth narrowed her eyes. "Is this true, Steve?"

Steve whimpered.

Ms. Janeth sighed. "Alright, let me go find some ice in the teacher's lounge. Someone watch him, please!"

With that, she disappeared inside, leaving everyone to burst out laughing and cheer their little group of friends on even more. People started dispersing then, leaving before Ms. Janeth returned. She and her friends headed out too, saying goodbye to Jim and Toby, but Claire steered them away from downtown when they got outside.

She had somewhere else she needed to be. And another bully she needed to face.

* * *

"All I want is the chance to wail on that fleshbag again," Draal laughed and lifted up his mug, and the rest of the tavern cheered.

Before he could bring the mug to his lips, though, she grabbed the rim of it and slammed it down on the table. Whatever beverage he'd been drinking splashed all over the table and his arm, causing gasps to erupt all around the troll bar she'd stepped into.

With Darci and Mary flanking her, she smirked. "Here's your chance, el bocazas." He stared at her in shock and surprise, and before he could narrow his eyes and stand up, she continued. "I want a rematch; and this time, I'm coming out on top."

* * *

 **And thus, the stage is set and the multi-chapter lead up to the rematch begins.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **I put a lot of thought into how Claire's family would react differently to Jim's mom.**

 **I also put a lot of thought into Claire's and Jim's relationship at this point, because, like, she's not into him just yet, but she's also going through a lot of stuff and Jim's being that kind dude who's trying to be really nice.**

 **Anyways, I'm going to start getting creative with where the story goes from here on out.**

 **Where as Jim would be chasing a gnome around and worrying about a Spanish presentation, Claire will be chasing a gnome around and doing something else.**

 **I don't know what yet.**

 **So, without further ado, I'll see you all next time.**

 **Favorite and Follow to stay updated, and leave a Review if you've got some thoughts to share.**


	7. To Gnome Thy Enemy, Part I

**This is a pretty short chapter, and I guess it feels like a tiny bit of filler.**

 **I would've made it longer, but I don't know how well 8k worded chapters are compared to 3k to 4k long ones.**

 **Anyways, some Jlaire at the start and quickly devolves to gnome-catching madness near the end.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

Of all the people that Claire thought would have joined the play, she absolutely, positively did not expect Steve Palchuk be one of them.

That's why her eyes turned into planets and her face turned into a sheet of paper when she walked into the gym/auditorium for Tuesday rehearsal to find him among the other cast members. That, and the fact that he'd been bedridden Monday after 'tripping on a bench onto his crotch' on Saturday.

 _What could he possibly want?_

She glared at the back of his head as she thought about the possibilities. From what she'd gathered, he'd applied for an understudy position. However, the person she asked hadn't known what he was trying to be the understudy for.

If anything, she'd guess Tybalt; they were both jerks by trade.

"Claire?"

She blinked and turned around, finding Ms. Janeth standing behind her.

"Hi, Ms. Janeth," she greeted.

"Hello, Claire," her drama teacher said and looked around. "Have you seen Jim?"

She tilted her head. "Jim?"

"Yes, he hasn't shown up yet and it's been fifteen minutes."

Claire furrowed her brow and searched the room for her co-lead. However, she couldn't find him or his familiar blue jacket amongst the assembled teens.

"Maybe he's running late," she said, but the look on Ms. Janeth's face was anything but forgiving.

"Maybe so, but we can't waste any more time for rehearsal to begin." She looked down at her clipboard. "It's certainly a good thing Steve offered to be Jim's understudy."

 _What?_

"What?" she asked—or maybe shouted.

She probably shouted, considering how frightened Ms. Janeth looked and how confused and curious everyone else in the gym/auditorium did.

"S-Sorry, Ms. Janeth," she said, and hid her burning face. "I thought I heard you say that Steve is Jim's understudy."

"Well, he is."

Her eye might have twitched. And her hands might have also balled into fists.

"Really?" she asked. "Why is he Jim's understudy?"

Ms. Janeth gave her a look before she adjusted her glasses and looked down at her clipboard. "Well, while he was recovering from his… incident on Saturday, he asked to join the play."

"But as Romeo?"

"Yes, he specifically requested that role."

"But what about Eli? Isn't he the understudy?"

"He was, but Eli seemed to take a sudden liking to Friar Lawrence. It was rather strange, actually."

She glanced over at Eli who was talking to some other teens. Then, she glanced at Steve who was showing off his muscles to some of the female cast members.

 _Yeah. Strange…._

"Alright," Ms. Janeth said, drawing her attention back to her, "it's time to begin."

"B-But what about Jim."

"I'm sorry, Claire, but unless Jim comes through those doors right now, there's nothing we can-"

As if God had answered her prayers, one boy in a blue jacket barged through the gymnasium doors, almost tripping as he skid to a stop.

"¡Estoy aquí!" he called and everyone turned to look at him. "Uh… I-I'm here."

He scurried over to a seat to put his satchel down and take a swig out of a water bottle. Nearby, she noticed Steve scowling and then stalking off with some girls. Smiling just a little bit, she strode over to Jim as Ms. Janeth called for the people that'd be rehearsing the scene.

"Hi, Jim," she said, giving wave.

He jumped and turned to look at her, but then swallowed and started coughing. She watched him for a moment, alarmed and a little worried that he might choke to death right in front of her. However, seconds later, he stopped emptying the water out of his windpipe and stammered, "B-Buenas noches, Claire."

She giggled. "It's actually buenas tardes. Noches means night, and, well…."

She gestured at the sunlight pouring through the gymnasium windows. Jim followed her gesture and then he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh… Uh, buenas tardes?" he corrected and yawned. "Lo siento- I mean- Sorry. I pulled an all-nighter practicing for a Spanish presentation on Thursday."

"Is that why you're also late?"

He nodded. "Sí."

She gave him a smile before looking over at the stage where Lord Capulet and Tybalt were arguing about killing Romeo. Then, she turned her gaze to the students watching in the audience. Among them, Steve sat with his arms draped over two girls' shoulders.

She narrowed her eyes and frowned. "Well, better you're here late than not at all. I don't think I could handle Steve playing Romeo."

Looking back at Jim, she found him with an eyebrow raised and look of confusion on his face.

"Um, what?"

"Steve's your understudy now," she said, "unfortunately."

She watched him level a glare at the back of Steve's head, but then smile fondly. A chuckle left him and he looked back at her.

"You know, I thought Steve would be smart enough to stay as far away from you after you kicked him in the gnards."

She smiled again and giggled. "Maybe that's where he keeps his brain."

They shared a round of laughter before Ms. Janeth called them both over to rehearse.

* * *

It was around five when they ended rehearsal. People were packing their bags and a few were already heading out when Ms. Janeth called out what scenes they would be working on next time.

She, herself, was packing up and getting ready to head to Heartstone Trollmarket. Since Saturday, she'd spent almost every afternoon and night since training in the Hero's Forge. Her parents were none the wiser too, mostly because they were at a bunch of meetings and she and her friends had been vigilant about their respective curfews. Unfortunately, Darci had shot her a text saying that she and Mary were out for the night, with the former trying to console the latter after she bombed her Spanish presentation today.

So, shooting off a 'get well' text she walked over to the exit to wait. However, she stopped when she noticed Jim sleeping amongst the fold-out chairs set up in front of the stage. His head was lolled back and he was snoring, a bit of drool running down the side of his face.

She snickered and walked over. "Jim? Hey, Jim?"

He didn't wake up at first, but after she gave him a shake on his shoulder, he jolted.

"¡Lo siento, Señior Uhl!" he cried out in terror. "¡No me mates, por favor!"

With eyes squeezed shut, Jim curled up on the fold-out chair and shrunk away from her. She stared at him for a moment, a bit too stunned to say or do anything. But then, the giggles started bubbling up inside of her. She tried covering her mouth with her hand to hold them in, but they just spilled out anyways.

To the sound of her uncontrollable giggles, he peeked open an eye to spy her holding her stomach and trying not to fall over.

"Oh my gosh, Jim," she managed to get out while taking a seat. "Are you really that scared?"

He flushed red and looked away. "H-Hey, you'd be scared too if you knew mediocre Spanish and had to give a presentation to Señior Uhl."

She giggled a little bit longer, but nodded. "Yeah… Yeah, I guess I see your point."

After a couple minutes, she calmed down from her giggling fit and looked at him. He was still blushing, but he wasn't looking like a tomato anymore. That was an improvement… yet, he was still wearing that frown.

A bit of guilt trickled into her heart and she swallowed down the lump in her throat.

"You know..." she spoke up and he glanced at her from the corner of his eye, "I could probably give you some help… If you wanted, that is."

His eyes widened and he turned into a tomato again. "R-Really? You'd- You'd help me?"

Without thinking, she immediately answered, "Yeah. I gotta watch out for my co-lead, right?"

He gave a smile, but it was faint. "Yeah…."

They sat in awkward silence for a moment. She didn't really know what else to say. Should she ask how much Spanish he knew? Should she ask if they should set up a time to meet? Should it be at school? After school? At one of their houses?

"So…." Jim began. "Wh-When should we meet up?"

"Uh… are you free during lunch tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Great. I'll see you during lunch."

"Alright, cool."

"Cool."

They might have sat there in more awkward silence if she didn't suddenly notice the curtains moving onstage. She furrowed her brow and squinted her eyes, trying to spy what was pulling on the curtains. The answer was one Blinkous Galadrigal who waved one of his four arms frantically before stepping back behind the curtains.

"Are you alright, Claire?"

She looked at Jim who stared at her with concern.

"Y-Yeah. I'm okay," she said, standing up. "I'm just going to go… meet my friends backstage."

"Oh, okay," he said. "I guess I should get going too… Ha-Hasta mañana?"

She smiled. "Hasta mañana."

They went their separate ways then—though, she glanced over her shoulder at him a few times. As soon as she heard the gym doors shut, she raced up onto the stage and through the curtains.

She found both Blinky and Aaarrrgghh there, the former hiding behind a painted, cardboard prop of Juliet's balcony and the latter pretending to be a statue among some fake, marble pillars.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, slowly moving towards them as she looked around for any straggling students from rehearsal.

"Master Claire, you skipped your training session for today," Blinky said, concern in his voice.

"Sorry, Blinky, but I had rehearsal today," she said. "I couldn't skip it or Ms. Janeth would've flipped out on me!"

Blinky seemed taken back. "Surely your survival is more important than- You know what, nevermind. Right now, a denizen of Trollmarket requires your services."

She tilted her head. "Um, what?"

"Should go," Aaarrrgghh rumbled then. "Bagdwella waiting."

"Indeed," Blinky agreed.

Her friends, who'd come out to glance between the two of them, then looked to her. She, herself, sighed and pulled out the Amulet. "Ugh, fine. Rehearsal's over and my parents should be at another meeting, so I can probably train until nine."

* * *

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" In a blue flash and a flurry of wisps, Claire donned her armor and summoned her sword. "Alright, let's do this."

She stood outside of Bagdwella's shop, along with Blinky and Aaarrrgghh. It'd taken them the better half of an hour to reach Trollmarket via the sewers—that conveniently ran beneath Arcadia Oaks High. In that time, Blinky had explained to her everything he'd learned about Bagdwella's problem.

Apparently, there was a rogue gnome running loose in her shop. And apparently, she wanted her to catch it… Yeah, real important mission for the protector of the trollkind.

Entering the building, her first impression of the interior was that it looked like something out of a fantasy movie. Pretty much everything was made of cobblestone and lit up by crystals jutting from the ground or walls. Products—or rather, a bunch of junk probably stolen from the surface—lined shelves and tables and counters. Lanterns and socks were strung up above them like some kind of lighting fixture/display.

"Trollhunter!" Claire turned her head to the… voluminous troll standing amidst what looked like ground zero of a twister's touchdown. "Oh, Trollhunter, you've finally arrived!"

The troll—Bagdwella, she guessed—laid a hand against her forehead and sighed in relief.

 _Drama alert._

Clearing her throat, she asked, "So, you've got a rogue gnome problem, ma'am?"

"Yes, I do," Bagdwella said, moving to take a seat. "First, I couldn't find my monocle, then my collection of bed coils. Now, something disappears every minute!"

As if on cue, a blur of red zipped across the ground and stole the stool she was about to sit on. She watched Bagdwella hit the ground and yelp, but then she turned her gaze on the red blur. Unfortunately, it was gone before she could follow it. That left her and her friends to glance around to try and catch a glimpse of it.

"Dirty pests," Bagdwella spat. "Up to last week, the glue traps were working fine."

She gave a disturbed look at the gnome skeleton stuck to a strip of paper she pulled from behind the counter.

Before she could make a comment, though, a string of giggles sounded and the gnome skeleton disappeared. Bagdwella gasped and she tried following the gnome again, to no avail.

"Fix it, Trollhunter," Bagdwella pleaded.

Claire, in turn, shot her an apprehensive look. "I, uh, yeah. Sure, I'll get right on that." With that said, she then turned to Blinky. "So, uh, how do I catch a gnome?"

Another string of giggles filled the air and Bagdwella yelled something in Trollish.

"With quick reflexes and quick wit, Master Claire," her mentor answered, and then jumped with a cry on top of a red blur.

They watched him lay on the ground for a moment, groaning. Then, they looked up to a barrel sitting against a wall where the rogue gnome stood, holding a tiny guitar and sounding a tune.

She looked at it for a moment, a little unsure if it really was as dangerous as she'd been told. Then, Aaarrrgghh reached forward, only to have the gnome run off again. Holding Daylight up, she twisted and turned, searching the shop for the gnome.

"Up there!" Blinky called.

"No! On the shelf!" she said.

"It's going under the table!" Bagdwella shouted.

"On the counter!" Aaarrrgghh said.

Claire darted her eyes around and grit her teeth. A growl was in the back of her throat as she brought Daylight to bear over there and over here.

The next time she got a clear look at the gnome, she swung. Daylight carved a scar into the wall the gnome had been leaning against. And it sliced the table it'd been standing on when she swung again.

"Come on!" she shouted.

She slashed and swung and cleaved and stabbed. The gnome evaded every one of her attacks though, and it was really grating on her nerves. "Just! Stand! Still!"

"Uh, Master Claire."

She snapped her head in Blinky's direction. Her mentor, in response, gave her a long, concerned look. Breathing heavily, she looked around at the destroyed shop… and then she looked at Bagdwella, who seemed ready to explode.

"Uh, heh, heh," she laughed nervously and let Daylight disappear. "S-Sorry."

Thankfully, before Bagdwella could give her some choice words, Blinky cleared his throat. They looked to him and he gestured at the cabinet next to him. Aaarrrgghh pushed it aside with ease, letting them see a hole hidden behind it.

"Hole," Aaarrrgghh rumbled.

Blinky nodded. "Yes, it would appear the plot quite literally deepens."

"Well, how do we catch it now?" Claire asked.

Blinky opened his mouth to answer, but he just closed it after a second. He rubbed his chin for a good couple of seconds before he hummed. "Currently, we are at an impasse. You cannot fit in that hole… not in your current state."

Slowly, and almost frighteningly, he started to smile. Aaarrrgghh, beside them, frowned. "Bad idea."

She glanced between them. "What's a bad idea?"

"Nothing. Nothing," Blinky reassured, but she didn't feel very reassured. "Don't you worry about anything, Master Claire. Tend to your studies and your rehearsal while we watch the hole."

She gave him a doubtful look, but he kept up his smile.

"Tomorrow, you'll return refreshed and ready to face this challenge."

* * *

Her parents were due home by 9:30 PM. Thankfully, she managed to get back by 9:15 PM and throw on her pajamas by the time they pulled up into the driveway. Dinner had been uneventful, but also a little tense when her mom had asked her to slow down after she practically vacuumed her plate clean of food.

What could she say? Trollhunting took a lot out of her.

After excusing herself from dinner, she headed upstairs and crawled into bed. Her homework had been light— _gracias a Dios_ —and that left her with another hour to browse social media. Though, that grew pretty boring pretty fast.

Claire flopped back against her mattress and sighed. She wasn't particularly tired, and she didn't feel like rolling over in her bed for another hour.

Her eyes roamed around her room, looking for something to preoccupy her. They traveled from her stereo to her ceiling to her backpack to the sack of troll lore books sitting in the corner… Hm.

A few moments passed before she was sitting on her bed again, one of Blinky's books opened on her lap. The pictures were certainly interesting and the Trollish writing was pretty cool, but she couldn't understand a single thing.

"Probably should've known," she mumbled and pulled out the Amulet. "Wish this stuff could translate like you… Whoa."

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, trying to make sure they weren't deceiving her. Yet, as much as she tried, the sight before her stayed the same. Well, it did so long as the book was bathed in the Amulet's soft, blue glow.

What were previously sentences written in Trollish were now written in English. Every paragraph had been magically translated into perfect English. It was amazing, but she wasted little time in gawking.

"This is great!" she mumbled and flipped through the pages. "Sulith the Sour. Gorath the Glad. Atrios the Unshackled. Timik the Tamer? Hm…." She held the page and leaned in for a closer look. "Timik once befriended a gaggle of gnomes. Interesting."

* * *

 **And now the major canon divergence starts.**

 **I won't spoil anything, other than the fact that Claire's less brute force and more sharp wit.**

 **Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

 **If you didn't catch my updated Author's Note at the end of the last chapter, then let me reiterate:**

 **-For those of you that've been concerned about my current canon liminality, don't worry, I'm gonna start branching out soon.**

 **-There's been a lot of speculation about where characters will join or what roles they'll fill, and I just gotta say that Jim and Toby will be a part of the Trollhunters team. Though, that's going to be later on.**

 **-I prefer using 'Master' over 'Mistress' because I feel like it's a more gender-neutral term, and Mistress also gives off a different feeling for me when I say it: "Mistress Claire"**

 **-Also, "The Sapphire One". Like, do you have a Fanfiction account? I would really like to PM you or for you to PM me, but I'm not getting the option. I would adore talking with you, or anyone for that matter, about Trollhunter's plot, story, characters, etc. and my own story's stuff.**

 **With that being said,** **Favorite and Follow to stay updated and leave a Review if you've got something great to say.**

 **I do love hearing your guys' feedback.**

 **With that being said, see you guys next time.**


	8. To Gnome Thy Enemy, Part II

**So, it's been over 2 to 3 weeks now.**

 **I am so freaking sorry about that, guys.**

 **At first, I got really busy with summer classes and work. Then, I kept revising and rewriting the chapter. And finally, I had a tiny bout of procrastination.**

 **My solution to this problem, though, was just release what I have written and write up the rest as another chapter.**

 **Since it's been a while, here's a brief summary of what went down last time:**

 **Claire goes to rehearsal and her and Jim talk. She offers to tutor him in Spanish, but then Blinky and Aaarrrgghh show up. They go to Trollmarket so she can deal with a gnome problem, but she fails. Later at night, she learns that the Amulet can translate Trollish into English, so she reads up on Troll lore.**

 **Alright, with all that being said, have a good read.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

Timik once befriended a gaggle of gnomes. Back when Troll and Man wrote in tomes.

His story started sad, but it didn't end bad. Actually, it ended quite happily, even if the adventure was quite silly.

 _"Miss Nuñez?"_

When our worlds were separate, when only bridges joined them together, Timik used to be desperate, living down in the nether.

He was not like other trolls. He didn't make fighting and winning his goals.

While other trolls loved to fight, Timik played music for his delight.

While other trolls went out to hunt, he stayed home to make a feast. The others thought it was an affront, but Timik cared the least.

Yet sadly, not even Timik could live without company. His meals were always lonely, so he sought out others to accompany.

 _"Miss Nuñez."_

Suddenly, eating alone became a tragic habit. That was, until a gnome took a bite of his roasted rabbit.

He shooed the gnome away, but it returned within a day.

Timik gave it a turkey's leg and sent it off. Later, he heard the gnome's family cough.

It'd brought its gaggle along for another meal. Timik certainly didn't want to make this a deal.

Gnomes were vermin. Gnomes were pests. They weren't as bad as men, but he didn't want them as guests.

So, he shooed them off and locked his door. They just came back for more.

Without choice, he gave them some food; and then played a lute to improve the mood. Suddenly, his lonely meal became a joyous feast, and all their hearts rose like yeast.

Soon, his home became their homes. Thus, Timik the Tamer befriended a gaggle of gnomes.

 _"Claire Nuñez."_

* * *

"Mm…."

Someone nudged her with an elbow. "C-Bomb. Wake-up."

She lifted her head up and rubbed her eyes. "Mary?"

Her friend's eyes were wide with alarm and she gestured to something in front of her. Blinking a couple of times, she yawned and faced the World History teacher in front of her.

"Welcome back, Miss Nuñez," Mr. Strickler greeted. "I'm glad you could join us."

Her cheeks burned red and she managed to stammer out a "sorry".

Mr. Strickler simply gave her a warm smile and went on with the lesson. Mary was kind enough to promise that she'd share her notes. The rest of the class went by quickly after that, mostly because she focused on the lesson rather than the troll lore book hidden beneath her textbook.

Mr. Strickler didn't pay her too much mind. He just went on with the lesson, talking about the height of the Roman Empire and their expansion across the lands. Though, he did make some small teases and jokes on her behalf, much to her dismay; but also a bit of her humor, if she had to be honest.

Thankfully, the end of class came quickly, signaled by the ringing of the bell. People jumped up immediately and slung on their backpacks while Mr. Strickler called out their homework assignments.

Her fellow classmates poured out of the classroom, except for Darci and Mary who waited patiently by the door for her. She was on her way out when she heard none other than Jim calling after her. "Hey, Claire!"

She turned to look at him. "Hm? Yes, Jim?"

"So… did you want to meet somewhere for lunch?"

She blinked and stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Jim, in response, looked at her with sudden embarrassment and turned his gaze away. His face got red pretty fast and he started rubbing the back of his neck.

 _What is he talking about?_

Her head was a giant mess of thoughts and ideas that tumbled over each other as she tried recalling anything that had to do with a library and Jim. It didn't help that there was sudden fit of giggling behind her, along with a squeal that sounded suspiciously like Mary whenever she got a text from Tight Jeans Hank.

"I mean, if you're busy I think I'll be fine for my presentation."

 _What? Oh!_

"Oh! Right, uh…." Now she was flushing red. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night. You probably noticed."

She gestured at her desk and he gave a shy laugh. "Yeah. So… I guess you'll want to take a nap then, or-"

"No. No, I'm fine," she said, cutting him off. "How about we meet in the library."

"Sure."

"Alright."

"So, see you there?"

She gave him a smile. "Yeah, see you there."

His face turned a lot redder and he mumbled out a quiet "Alright" before shuffling past her and her friends. He almost ran into a boy outside, his friend Toby, but he stopped just short and the two walked off.

"What was that about?" Darci asked as they started on their way too.

"Oh, Jim asked for some help with his Spanish presentation tomorrow," she said.

There was a huff of anger to her right and she glanced at Mary. Her friend, who'd failed hers miserably yesterday, was glaring at the back of Jim's head and muttering something under her breath.

Then, she darted her narrowed eyes at her. "So, how come Jim gets help with his Spanish presentation and I don't? Huh, Claire?"

"Mary, I did help you."

Mary crossed her arms. "Well I failed. What does that tell you?"

"It tells me you didn't go over our notes, did you?"

Mary pursed her lips and looked away. "Tight-Jeans Hank texted me, okay. What was I supposed to do? Study?"

"Um, yes."

Mary just narrowed her eyes at her. "Whatever. But still; you chose Jim? Mister I-learned-Spanish-to-impress-you?"

"I- He didn't- I'm not-"

She stumbled over her words and sputtered out about ten different, unfinished sentences before she looked ahead and walked faster. Mary giggled behind her, and Darci did too. Both of them kept pace with her and she tried her hardest to ignore them as she got in line for lunch.

* * *

The library was mostly empty when she walked in. There were only a couple students using the computers and a few browsing the bookshelves. Then, there was Jim, who sat alone amongst a dozen tables.

She walked over, lunch tray in her hands. The librarian, a middle-aged woman with graying hair, glanced up at her, but she just flashed her an innocent smile. Being the honor roll student she was, the librarian just gave a nod and went back to whatever she'd been doing.

She was a table away from Jim when he noticed her, glancing up from a stack of notes sitting in front of him.

"Hola, Claire."

"Hola, Jim."

He pushed out a chair for her and she gladly took the seat. Setting down her tray and her backpack, she glanced over at her co-lead and found him opening his satchel. From it, he pulled out a water bottle and a couple of wrapped up tubes.

"Are those burritos?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He looked at her with his own raised eyebrow. "Hm? Oh. Uh, no, these are spicy tuna wraps. I made some this morning."

He unwrapped one of the tubes, revealing a wrapped up tortilla filled with chopped up tuna and sliced veggies. The pungent smell of tuna and spices hit her too, and she swore her mouth was watering.

"Wow, that smells _and_ looks delicious."

"Thanks," he said before taking a bite out of one of his lunch.

As he ate, she looked down at the papers in front of him. He had dozens of notes written down, most of them in English with a few in Spanish. There were a lot of references to Florida, the conquistadors, and Ponce de León.

"What's your presentation about?" she asked while ripping open her pre-packaged, PB&J sandwich.

"Oh, uh, well I'm doing it over Ponce de León." He pushed one of his papers over to her. "Most of what I have is on his search for the Fountain of Youth; the, uh… Fonte- er, Fuente-"

"Fuente de la juventud," she translated with a smile.

"Thanks," he said, smiling back bashfully before picking up his pencil. "Um, how do you spell that?"

He scratched his head and she gave a giggle. They spent the rest of their lunch like that, with him going over his notes and her pointing out errors. Most of the issues she found were either the wrong words in the wrong places or incorrect grammar, but there were also a few misspellings here and there that she helped fix.

Slowly, but surely, they worked their way through his presentation until all that was left was for Jim to practice speaking. Which, with him being in the play, wasn't much of a challenge.

Well, except for the part where he also had to use Spanish pronunciation.

"Pero Ponce de León fue tira-"

"Tirar. You have to roll your R's."

"Yeah, I got it. Pero Ponce de León fue tirar con una flecha y luego... morio?"

"Murió."

"Murió," he repeated. "Moo-Ree-Oh. Alright." He cracked a smile and scribbled something down in his notes. "Thanks."

She smirked. "Don't you mean gracias?"

He snorted. "Sí, Señorita Claire."

He gave a tiny bow and she giggled before finishing her cup of yogurt. They sat in silence for a moment then, the only sound being his pencil on paper. A few seconds later, the pencil was down and Jim was leaning backwards, sighing in relief.

"So," she said, "do you think you're ready?"

"Yeah. Probably," he said. "I mean, with your help, I'm probably more than ready."

Their eyes met for a second, but then he looked away. There was a blush on his cheeks, and judging by how hot her own cheeks were, she was probably blushing too.

"So," Jim suddenly said aloud, "I guess I'll spend tonight rehearsing my presentation."

She shot him a smirk. "Well, you did get the part of Romeo, so I think you got this."

He rubbed the back of his neck and let out a soft laugh. "Thanks."

"Ah!" she cried out, holding a finger up to his face.

Jim, surprised, leaned backwards and looked at her with fright. "Uh… Gracias?"

She smiled. "De nada."

A moment of awkward silence settled between them then. As Jim packed up his stuff, she gathered her trash onto her lunch tray and checked her phone for the time. It looked like they had about fifteen minutes left before lunch ended.

"Well, remember to practice your lines for tomorrow too," she said.

He snorted. "Is the play always on your mind?"

Crossing her arms and shooting him a fake look of annoyance, she said, "Yes."

Jim chuckled and she smiled and together, they laughed softly.

"Yeah," she spoke up, "I really want this play to do well. Being an actress is kinda my dream."

"But do you really spend all your time rehearsing?"

"Well, no."

"Really?" he teased, smirking.

"Yeah," she snapped back, "I do other stuff."

His smirk just grew. "Like what?"

She narrowed her eyes and glared. "Like…." _Protecting our world. Training to fight the son of a legend. Hunting gnomes._ "Uh…."

Jim tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, which probably meant that she didn't look too good.

"Are you okay, Claire?"

She forced out a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. Really fine- Er- I mean…."

Closing her mouth, she stared at Jim and he stared back, the concern on his face turning into alarm.

"Uh, okay… Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I just… remembered that I… have to catch a gn- raccoon… I have to catch a raccoon."

He furrowed his brow. "You've got to catch a raccoon?"

"Yes," she said a bit too quickly. "It's been… causing trouble in my… basement."

Her heart was pounding her chest as she held her pretty forced smile. Jim, to his credit, looked at her suspiciously for a minute before he shrugged. "We do get a lot of raccoons here."

She nodded immediately. "Yeah, it's a real problem."

Jim hummed. "Do you know how you're going to get rid of it?"

In all honesty, she had no idea how she was going to get rid of her 'raccoon' problem. The troll lore book she'd studied last night hadn't explained much about Timik the Tamer's befriending of the gaggle of gnomes. The only thing she'd managed to gain insight into was that he had a feast and played some music.

So, without much of an answer, she said the first thing that came to mind, "I'm going to set a trap?"

Jim nodded and looked away. She sighed internally out of relief, and then straightened when he looked back at her.

"Do you need any help?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

Her heart beat against her rib cage and she blurted out, "No!"

Her co-lead/friend jumped and she covered her mouth with her hand. Jim watched her with frightened eyes and she let her hand drop to give him an apologetic smile. "I mean, no. No, I've got it under control."

"Okay… I just thought, since I usually get raccoons in my basement too, maybe I could help out…."

He scratched the back of his head, face burning red and eyes looking at the ground. Guilt trickled into the pit of her stomach and she turned her gaze away, letting her eyes land on the last spicy tuna wrap Jim had laying on the table.

 _Wait…._

"Actually, Jim," she said. "Are you going to eat that?"

* * *

"Ah, Master Claire, you've returned, at last!"

She gave Blinky a wave and smiled as she walked into Bagdwella's shop.

"Well, yeah," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "We've got a gnome to catch, right?"

She craned her head around and took in the sight of the room. More things had gone missing, leaving the shop almost completely bare. All that remained was thrown and strewn around. That included, but was not limited to: some lanterns, a couple toasters, some Christmas lights, and a few baskets.

Blinky smiled in approval and nodded. Meanwhile, Aaarrrgghh, who stood by a tall, sarcophagus-looking machine, frowned…. Why was he frowning?

"Indeed," Blinky said, "Now, follow me, we've readied the Furgulator for you."

He strode towards the sarcophagus-looking machine, but she didn't follow. Instead, she gave it a once over and then turned her eyes back to him. "The what?"

"The Furgulator," he repeated, "a machine we trolls utilize to compress mined ores."

Alarms bells were ringing in her head. Most of them were screaming 'danger!' and 'do not even!'. Then there were those that said 'Blinky, why?'.

Pushing all of those thoughts down, though, she managed to ask, "So, what are we using it for?"

"Well, its primary function is to compress and shrink the size and mass of whatever material is contained within it. So, the same process should allow you to fight the vermin on his own terms."

"...You're going to shrink me."

"Well, yes."

She stared at him. "...Um, can I put in a second opinion first?"

"I'm afraid that time is of the essence, Master Claire," Blinky declared, slamming a fist into his palm.

"Uh, yeah, I know, but," she said, holding up two fingers, "I was reading one of the books you gave me, 'A Brief Recapitulation of Troll History' and I found a section about this troll, Timik the Tamer-"

Blinky's six eyes widened and he gasped. "Why, of course! Timik the Tamer once befriended a gaggle of gnomes!"

She shot him a brief glare before nodding. "Exactly, so, what if we tried bating the gnome instead of…." She gestured over at the Furgulator

Blinky rubbed his chin and hummed. "I suppose it might be worth a shot. But we will require bait!"

Claire smiled. "Actually, I've already got that covered."

She set her backpack down on the ground and unzipped it. Both Blinky and Aaarrrgghh stared curiously as she pulled out the spicy tuna wrap that Jim had given her. Standing up, she strode over to the gnome's hidey hole, which had been crudely plugged up with a stone.

"So, Timik befriended the gnomes by having a feast, right?" she asked and Blinky nodded. "So, we've got some food, now all we need is some music."

Claire doubted her soundtrack of Papa Skull could draw the gnome out, and she didn't think she had much of a connection to YouTube this deep down in Trollmarket. So, with those options crossed out, that meant they'd have to make their own music.

Scratching her head, she looked over at Blinky and Aaarrrgghh. "Can any of you play an instrument?"

She watched Blinky purse his lips and tap his chin thoughtfully. "I dabbled with a lute once, long ago. I might still have somewhere in my study." He made to leave, but waved at Aaarrrgghh. "Come along, Aaarrrgghh. I'll need your help in moving some things."

Aaarrrgghh nodded and made his way over while Blinky turned his gaze to her. "In the meantime, I suggest you don your armor, Master Claire. It would do us no good if the gnome stole your Amulet."

She raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it just come back to me?"

"Well… No," he said, steepling his fingers. "Though the Amulet of Daylight does return to its owner when lost, the same rule does not apply to when it has been thieved."

"That's… Why?"

"Think of it as a test of responsibility," Blinky said and started towards the exit. "We'll only be a moment, Master Claire."

With that, both he and Aaarrrgghh, leaving her to dig the Amulet out of her pocket.

"For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command."

She then spent the next thirty minutes suited up in silver plates, waiting for her troll friends to return. Boredom took over her pretty quickly, prompting her to tap her foot impatiently, then pace impatiently, then sigh and sit down. She pulled out her phone soon, but her gauntlet-clad hands just slid on the screen, so she gave up on browsing her gallery.

There was her homework in her backpack, but she only got about five problems into her Algebra homework before she groaned and shoved the papers back in her bag.

She almost laid down for a nap, but she heard the ever-so-familiar pride and gusto of Blinky's voice outside. Within moments, he and Aaarrrgghh entered Bagdwella's shop, the former cradling a lute in his arms.

"We have returned!" he announced, triumphantly before facing the gnome's hidey hole. "And now, vermin, your end begins."

Blinky raised an arm and brought it down, strumming the strings of the lute. Or rather, he tried to strum and ended up making a cacophony of 'twings' and 'twangs'. Her troll mentor cringed, along with everyone else.

"Uh, are you sure you can play that?" she asked.

"Well, as I said, it has been some time."

A disgusted scoff sounded from the corner, and Claire watched Bagdwella, who'd been sitting by and watching, herself, come over and swipe the lute out of Blinky's hands. "Give me that!"

She watched Blinky gasp in shock and growl in anger before putting two fists on his hips. However, Bagdwella just ignored him as she adjusted the instrument in her arms and tuned the strings. Her fingers, which were literally the size of sausages, worked over the lute pretty deftly, almost professionally.

Bagdwella strummed and a pleasant note fill the air. "What?"

"Uh, nothing," she said. "Alright... so we're ready. Right?"

"It would appear so, yes," Blinky grumbled, arms crossed and mouth turned into a scowl directed at Bagdwella.

Ignoring that, Claire turned to the gnome's hidey hole. "Then, let's do this."

* * *

 **And that's a cliffhanger.**

 **Again, I am so sorry that this happened.**

 **I really didn't want to stretch out these chapters, but I really don't want to lose you guys, my audience, because I'm not keeping up with a consistent update schedule.**

 **So, uh, next time they're catching the gnome and whatnot.**

 **I hope you liked my Jlaire build-up. (I ship these two so hard)**

 **If my Spanish is wrong, I'm sorry. I'm actually taking Spanish classes right now; i.e. my summer classes, which are Spanish. I'm still learning all the nuances of Español.**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter.**

 **Please leave a Review, and Favorite and Follow if you haven't already.**

 **Have a good time!**


	9. To Kill or be Kind

**Hello again.**

 **Sorry it's been a while.**

 **I actually spent a lot of time fine tuning the chapter, as well as ruminating over how to make this story unique in comparison to the other Trollhunter!Claire AUs that've been popping up.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys like the chapter.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

Claire resisted the urge to tap her foot and snap her fingers along to the notes Bagdwella strummed on Blinky's lute. Any other time, she would've let loose and danced along with the beat. However, seeing as she was in the middle of trying to catch a gnome, she forced herself to stand as still as possible.

Hiding behind the wardrobe that'd previously covered the gnome's reopened hidey hole, she watched the tip of its red hat poke out.

She moved a little bit back, hiding further behind the wardrobe before looking again. The gnome had stuck its head out, and now it was looking around. As it turned towards her hiding spot, she pulled back and held her breath.

A second passed, then two; and then she heard its tiny feet touch the ground. She barely heard it sniffing the air past Bagdwella's music, but she picked up enough of the sound to know it was moving away from its hidey hole.

Peeking out again, she watched as it scurried across the ground and then perked up when it saw the spicy tuna wrapping she'd gotten from Jim. For a second, it stood still, and she swallowed, suddenly feeling dread at the possibility that the gnome had figured them out.

Then, she felt relief wash over her as the gnome started forward. It bounced over to the bait, skipping and singing to the music of the lute. In a weird way, it was a pretty funny sight—and in another weird way, it was pretty adorable. However, she stopped herself from fawning over it.

Just as it got within grabbing distance of the spicy tuna wrapping, she pressed herself against the wall behind her and then planted her right foot on the wardrobe.

Sucking in a breath, she heaved and pushed against the wardrobe. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the gnome perk up and look over at her. She gave a yell and tipped the wardrobe over, letting it fall over until it hit the opposite wall, leaning over and covering the hidey hole.

An enraged cry sounded from the gnome and she summoned Daylight immediately. Before the little pest could scurry away, though, Blinky jumped onto it with a basket. He landed with an 'oof', but quickly pulled himself over on top of the basket, making sure the gnome couldn't force it off itself.

"Blinky!" Aaarrrgghh cheered as he ran over. "You did it!"

Claire grinned and let Daylight disappear into a puff of blue wisps. "Good job, Blinky."

"Now, Master Claire. The real effort was put in by you," he said. "If not for your reading of the books I lent to you, then we would never have caught the-"

Blinky stopped, eyes growing wide as the sound of cracking wicker filled the room. Getting up, he, along with the rest of them, looked down as the gnome peered up through the hole it had just torn open through the basket.

"Oh boy," she said.

Within an instant, everything went south. Blinky tried falling back down on the basket but missed the gnome just as it hopped out. As he crushed the would-be trap, Aaarrrgghh swept his arms across the ground, trying to the grab the gnome. It dodged and evaded with ease as it headed to its hidey hole.

 _Wait. What?_

She blinked and watched Aaarrrgghh pursue it relentlessly. "But it knows the hole's covered, why would it-" Her eyes shot open wide as Aaarrrgghh barely brushed the wardrobe covering the hole. "Aaarrrgghh! No!"

It was too late. The hulking troll grabbed the wardrobe, which the gnome had used as cover, and he threw it aside. At the call of her voice, though, he turned to her, and then turned back with a grimace.

She grit her teeth and charged forward, her eyes watching the gnome as it tried climbing up the wall. "Cover the hole!"

Aaarrrgghh obeyed her order and slapped his hand over the hidey hole, closing off the gnome's escape. The force of the blow shook the wall, causing dust to rain from the ceiling and the gnome to lose its grip.

The little pest rubbed its bottom and hissed at them, but she jumped at it, hands open. For a moment, she felt joy and triumph as her fingers wrapped around the critter. Then, she felt terror as it thrashed and showed off its very, very sharp teeth.

"¡Dios mío!" she cried out, her grip loosening until the gnome slipped free.

Pushing herself back up, she darted her eyes around until she found her target again. The gnome was heading towards the exit where Bagdwella was swinging Blinky's lute, trying to hit it. At the same time, Blinky was yelling at her to stop before she broke his lute.

Narrowing her eyes, she charged over and reached for the gnome while it was distracted. She grabbed something and gave a triumphant cry, but then she felt the blood drain from her face as she stared in horror at the pointy, red hat she held.

"I touched his hat."

"Master Claire, look out!" Blinky cried.

She twisted around at his heeding and watched with terrified eyes as the gnome threw a tantrum. Its exposed horn glinted in the light of the crystals around the shop and she gulped when it pointed itself at her.

She screamed and backed up as the gnome launched itself at her, but when she tried dodging, she ended up running into a barrel. Trapped and without many options, she threw up her arms and hoped her armor was tough enough to take the blow.

Good news: her armor came in with the magic shield thing that'd saved her during her first spar with Draal. Bad news: it still sent her reeling backwards, dazed and disoriented.

"Aaarrrgghh, no!"

She blinked until her vision stopped blurring, then she looked over to Blinky who looked at Aaarrrgghh who had abandoned the hole in the wall. A blur of white and blue stole her attention and she watched as the gnome scurried away.

"No!" Blinky cried once more. "It's escaping!"

Her eyes narrowed then, the frustration and the anger building up inside her. She was not letting this thing get away from her again.

Running on an idea that popped in her head, she pulled her sword arm back and swung it forward with a yell. Just after the apex of her arm's swing, she loosened her grip until she let go. Daylight sailed through the air, flying past the gnome and straight at the hole.

There was a flash of light and a ploom of bluish fire, and the gnome jumped back in fright as her magic sword sliced into the stone, perfectly embedding itself right into the hole.

As it stood stunned, she glanced around and locked onto a bag left on the shop counter. Immediately, she grabbed it and then charged over to the gnome. Hearing her metal boots on the cobblestone ground, the gnome turned to look at her before it fled.

Yet, it didn't get so much of a foot away before she scooped it up and tied the string. Letting out a cheer, she held the bag up and cheered. "Yeah!"

Around her, the rest of the shop's occupants smiled. Well, Blinky grinned and Aaarrrgghh gave one of those wide smiles that covered his whole face. Then, Bagdwella crossed her arms and gave a small smile, but it was still a smile.

"You've done it, Master Claire!" Blinky said, clasping a hand on her shoulder. "Claire the Gnome-Catcher. That has a nice ring to it."

She let out a giggle at the moniker and he chuckled under his breath. "Now, all that's left is to finish the fight."

Her smile dropped. "Finish?"

Aaarrrgghh lifted two fingers. "Rule number two."

"Always finish the fight," Blinky elaborated. "You must always kill your opponent before they kill you."

Kill? She didn't- She couldn't-...

"You want me to… kill it?" she asked, whispering the deed like she'd get arrested just for uttering it out loud.

"Yes, of course," Blinky said, bluntly.

Her eyes went down to the bag and the gnome thrashing inside. She stared for a long moment, a thousand thoughts tumbling over each other, crashing into each other, and all over making a giant, chaotic mess in her head.

 _I can't… I don't want to…._

She opened her mouth, but then closed it. Her lips were noticeably drier, and it felt a lot hotter inside her armor.

"But..." she trailed off. "I can't… I can't kill it."

All three of the trolls gave her weird looks, but Blinky immediately ushered her aside from Bagdwella's critical gaze.

"What do you mean, you can't?" he whispered, pulling her out of the shop. "You must!"

"But… I don't want to… Why do I have too?"

Blinky studied her for a moment, taking in her troubled face, and then he hummed. "Compared to your human world, ours is an unforgiving one. If you do not finish the fight, then your opponent will."

* * *

Claire spent the better half of her night staring at her backpack.

Inside of it she had her books, her homework, and the bag with the gnome sleeping within. She'd returned home hours ago, finding her mom in her study and her dad playing with Enrique. Her mom had stopped her on her way up to her room, asking her where she'd been, but her usual excuse of "Ms. Janet wanted to talk to me about the play" got her off her back.

After a quick dinner, a small stack of homework—ranging from World History to Biology—and a bit of half-hearted rehearsing, she found herself wrapped up in her own thoughts.

 _It's asleep and in my backpack. There's no way it can hurt me._

 _But what if it wakes up?_

 _Do I have to kill it? If I don't, will it kill me?_

She smacked the sides of her head and groaned. A headache was coming on and she really didn't want to spend all night weighing her options. Especially since tomorrow she had rehearsal, so that added on another hour or two to her schedule.

* * *

"Claire!"

"Mm?" she groaned and shifted beneath her warm covers. "¿Qué…?"

Blinking and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Claire looked up to the blurry figure standing over her. A second passed before she recognized the familiar suit her mom always wore. "Mom?"

"You better have a good excuse to why you're still in bed, young lady," her mom said, arms crossed and face livid.

Claire furrowed her brow. "What? Mom, it's…."

She looked at her nightstand where her alarm clock sat—or rather, where it used to sit. Now, there was nothing there. She stared at it for a moment, her drowsy brain connecting dots and drawing conclusions before she looked back at her mom.

"Um, what time is it?"

"Eight-forty!"

She blinked.

 _School started at 7:50… Oh… Fudge-knuckles…._

Without a word, she threw her covers off and jumped out of bed. She pulled her drawers open and pulled out whatever was clean and looked like it would match.

The entire time she sped through her morning routine, her mom watched her like a hawk. Actually, it was more like a prison warden, making sure she didn't deviate from getting ready for school.

Her mom still had her scathing eyes on her as she ran downstairs, backpack bouncing on her back and purse jostling at her side. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and a granola bar for breakfast as her mom told her dad to start the car. Then, she was forced to sit through a lecture and a scolding about managing her sleeping schedule.

"Don't think we can't hear you in your room when you should be asleep!"

Her mom wagged a finger in her face and she dropped her head. "I'm just getting more study time in before school, mom."

"Do you not have enough already? Or are you too busy running around Arcadia with your friends?"

She tensed up. "Wh-What?"

"Don't play dumb with me, young lady," she snapped, jabbing an accusing finger at her. "Miss Alexson, next door, told us about your late nights out while your father and I are at city hall."

"Mom, I-"

Her mom raised a hand. "No excuses, Claire."

Thankfully, before her mom could continue, she heard her dad clear his throat. He stood at the kitchen entrance, throwing his thumb down the hall.

"The car's ready, mija," he said, voice devoid of neither warmth nor heat.

Unlike her mom, his face wasn't contorted with anger. Instead, there was disappointment written all over his expression. That hurt her more than anything.

With her head down and backpack and purse slung, she got up and put away her cereal bowl. Then, she headed out with her dad.

The drive to Arcadia Oaks High was quiet, with her dad driving with a solemn face and her looking out the window, too afraid to confront him about her tardiness. It made the trip last an eternity, yet, they arrived at the school before she knew it.

By the time her dad pulled up to the curb, she'd already missed her first class of the day—that being English. Though, she was thankful that Ms. Shanning was a pretty lenient teacher _and_ that she was also an honors student. Maybe that would be enough to get her some leeway.

"Hasta luego," she said quietly as she got out of the car.

"Hasta luego, mija," her dad replied. "Have a good day."

She gave him a weak smile. "I'll try, papá."

He smiled back before pulling away from the curb, heading back home. She watched him go until he disappeared around the block, leaving her standing there alone in front of the school.

Slinging her backpack off and into her arms, she muttered, "Alright. First things first, gotta turn in my English homewor-... What in the world?"

She stared at the alarm clock- _her_ alarm clock, which sat on top of her textbooks. She took a moment to process the sight before she pulled it out, checking to make sure it was real.

"How did- I- What?"

She opened her mouth, and then closed it. Whatever other words were in her throat died before they could get out. She was utterly baffled until she noticed the lack of books and binders in her bag, as well as the opened, troll-made bag shoved into the corner.

 _Oh no._

Giggles erupted nearby, along with the chittering of sharp teeth and she caught a brief glimpse of a pointy, red hat fleeing inside Arcadia Oaks High. She darted her eyes back to her backpack and then looked through the gnome-sized hole in the bottom of it.

"Fudge-knuckles."

* * *

It was bad enough trying to catch the gnome inside of Bagdwella's shop, but at least there had only been two ways for it to escape. Inside of her high school, however, the gnome had, like, a whole lot more than two ways to evade her.

Claire grit her teeth and growled as she peeked around a corner, checking for teachers or anyone who might report her for running around while classes were in session. Thankfully, the halls had been clear, so far. But there was no telling how long that would last. Especially with her making a ruckus every time she ran after a blur of red or lifted something up to check underneath it.

"Hehehe!"

She darted her head up and glanced to her left, barely catching a glimpse of a small, blue coat. Narrowing her eyes, she gave chase and sped down the hall. Skidding around the corner, she scanned the next hall for any sign of the gnome or any hiding places it could use.

Good news was that there weren't any trash cans or lockers to hide in.

Bad news was the only thing lining the walls were classroom doors.

She shifted nervously for a second. "Oh, this is bad."

Hesitantly, she scurried up to the closest door and peeked through the window. To her great relief, the classroom was empty. The next one, though, looked like it was in the middle of some algebra equations. The third was doing some kind of geometry work. The fourth was working out something with statistics.

Coming onto the fifth door, however, she noticed the door was slightly ajar. Glancing behind her at the rest of the doors down the hall, she noticed they were all closed.

 _This has to be it._

She felt her stomach flip and a sudden burst of exhilaration flood through her body. Her mouth quirked into a grin and she grabbed the door knob.

"Ah ha! Oh- Er-..."

Her victorious cry and grin instantly withered as she met the eyes of an entire classroom of students.

They all stared at her in surprise and shock. A few had dropped their pencils, others had jumped out of their seats in fright. A couple were laughing under their breaths, and two particular students, one African-American girl with an afro and an Asian-American girl who had looked incredibly depressed, looked at her with the most stupefied faces she'd ever seen.

Darci and Mary opened their mouths to exclaim something, but someone else beat them to it.

"Claire?" called her co-lead, Jim Lake Jr.

She looked at him; and then at the paper in his hands; and then back at his class; and then at Sr. Uhl whose incredulous expression was quickly turning into a red, angry one.

"Uh, hi, Jim," she said and backed up. "I, uh… wrong classroom… lo siento, Señior Uhl."

She gave a nervous laugh and made to leave but nudged her head behind her first. She glanced at Darci and Mary and both gave her even more stupefied looks.

"Miss Nuñez, what are you do-"

"I'll just be going now," she cut in with a terrified smile. "¡Buena suerte, Jim!"

With that, she slammed the door shut and ran down the hall before ducking around the corner. There wasn't a soul in sight, so she twirled back around and peeked down the hall.

Not a moment after, Sr. Uhl burst out of the classroom and snapped his head left and right. She hid again and silently prayed that he hadn't seen her. Thankfully, she didn't hear him stomping down the hall or calling her name.

She waited until she heard the door close again to peek back around the corner. Holding her breath, she waited, and waited, and waited. Then, the door swung back open and Darci came out, lugging Mary with her.

"Sorry, Señior Uhl. Girl problems! You know how it is. Bye!"

With that, she slammed the door shut and Mary jumped onto her feet. They looked around, searching for her, so she waved an arm out.

By the time Sr. Uhl poked his head out and looked around again, they were all already around the corner.

As soon as they heard the door shut, both her friends were on her.

"Claire, what are you doing here?" Darci asked. "Why weren't you in Ms. Shanning's class? Why aren't you in class now?"

Mary nodded, hands on her hips. "Yeah, C-Bomb, what's up?"

"Well, we got a problem," she confessed.

"What kind of problem?" Darci asked.

She scratched the back of her neck. "I… might'vesetagnomelooseintheschool."

They both blinked.

"Um, do you mind repeating that?" Mary asked.

She nodded and took a deep breath. "So, I might have set a gnome loose inside the school."

For a moment, they just stared at her. Then, their eyes rounded, and their mouths dropped.

"You what?"

"A gnome? Like: Small. Red hat. Pointy teeth. Tried biting my hand off the first time we went to Trollmarket?"

She nodded.

"Oh my, God, Claire!"

"Shh!" she shushed, getting in Mary's face. "We can't get caught out here. Come on-"

Before she could drag them somewhere safe, she spied one gnome sitting at the other end of the hall, someone's box lunch in its hands. It looked like it was in the middle of taking a giant bite out of it, but it'd frozen up.

Its eyes were locked onto her, just as her eyes were locked onto it.

Neither of them moved. They just stood perfectly still.

Then, the gnome shot off and she ran after it. "Get that gnome!"

The three of them sped down the halls, zipping past classrooms and dodging trash cans, water fountains, and the occasional student on a restroom break. From what Claire could tell, they practically ran the full length of the school and back.

A few times, the gnome managed to evade them; but they caught onto its trail quickly thanks to the sound of it giggling and the occasional, terrified squeal of someone who'd had a close encounter with it.

"Guys, we're running out of time!" Darci hissed as they came to a stop. "We've got fifteen minutes until classes get out."

Both of her friends shifted anxiously, looking to her for help. She, in turn, continued her search for the gnome.

Fortunately, it didn't take her long to notice an ajar door, the tail-end of a blue coat disappeared into the dark room.

"There," she whispered, pointing a finger at the room.

They shared brief looks with her before they quietly stepped towards the door.

"Keep a look out," she said, and they nodded, Darci giving a fake salute.

Stepping into the office, she pulled the door close with as much care as she could. Then, she patted along the wall for the light switch. A couple seconds later, she flipped it on and looked out over the room.

A desk sat in the far back, covered in books and papers, along with a lamp. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled to the brim with textbooks and historical volumes. Above and on top of the bookshelves were all kinds of artifacts and trinkets, ranging from tribal-looking masks to clay figurines.

"Mr. Strickler's office," she muttered, recognizing everything.

 _This is bad. There's a lot of stuff in here a gnome could take._

True to her thoughts, a string of giggles erupted from behind the desk and she watched her World History teacher's favorite pen disappear from his desk.

Her eyes widened, and she snapped her head around, searching for the pest.

 _There's gotta be a better way to catch this thing… Wait…._

Grabbing her purse, she opened it up and rummaged through its contents before pulling out the granola bar she'd taken for breakfast. Peeling off the wrapper, she held it up and waved it around. Its honeyed scent touched her nose and made her stomach grumble, but she pushed her hunger down.

Opening her ears, she listened for the gnome. The sound of its tiny feet pattering had stopped, which seemed hopeful. Not a moment later, she heard it sniffing the air and the corner of her lips tugged up.

Slowly and gently, she laid the granola bar on the ground and backed up. Then, bringing out her phone, she opened YouTube.

"Mozart. Tchaikovsky. Albéniz. Sor… Oh, come on!"

None of the music videos she tried playing worked. Apparently, school internet was just as bad as no internet.

Stifling the growl in her throat, she combed her phone for anything that might be musically enchanting to her prey. Unfortunately, being the huge Papa Skull fan that she was, the only music she could find was made by Papa Skull, themselves.

"Guess it'll have to do," she muttered as she turned her phone's volume down and tapped play on the first song.

The beat of drums and strumming of a guitar filled the air, but she resisted the urge to bob her head. Instead, she put all her focus on the little, silhouetted shape in the corner of the office.

The gnome stepped out of the shadows tentatively, its eyes glancing from her to the food. She backed up another step and gestured at the granola bar, offering a smile to the small creature. The gnome didn't seem too convinced at her apparent show of goodwill.

"I don't want to hurt you, little guy," she said softly. "I don't want to kill anyone."

The gnome tilted its head at her, then let loose a string of foreign words she could barely keep up with.

"Um, what?"

The gnome ignored her confused look and inched closer to the granola bar. She watched it poke the wrapping, then pick up the breakfast treat. It sniffed it for a moment, and then nibbled off a piece.

Giving off a satisfied sound, it proceeded to push the rest of its food into its mouth. She blinked at it, watching as the granola bar disappeared into the gnome's mouth like a paper going through a shredder and then a waste disposal unit. Within seconds, the gnome had finished its meal and turned its eyes to her.

She cracked a timid smile and backed up further. "Uh, that's all I got, little guy."

The gnome gave her a curious look before it scurried forward. She squeaked in surprise and backed up into Mr. Strickler's desk. The wooden edge jabbed into her back and she suddenly came to the realization that she wasn't actually suited up in her armor this time.

"H-Hey, let's calm down," she said, holding up her hands.

Her prey, now apparently the hunter, tilted its head before babbling some more foreign words. Then, it pointed at her phone. She glanced at it, and then at the gnome. "You… want to see my phone?"

It tilted its head before nodding.

She looked at it suspiciously, and then turned her attention to her phone. She wondered what it wanted to do with it. Eat it? Listen to it?

Whatever the case, she really didn't have too many options that would end with her catching it again. So, with a sigh, she bent down and handed her phone over to the gnome. It took it with a gleeful cheer and she watched with concern as it turned it around, flipped it over, nibbled on the corner, and tapped on the screen.

"Hey, be careful with that. Don't-"

She was cut off when it turned up the volume, causing the phone to blast Papa Skull's second album. The crash of drums and strumming of a guitar filled the office and she stared in shock as the gnome cheered, throwing its head back and forth.

"Huh. Guess you do like Papa Skull."

The gnome ignored her, all its attention put into enjoying the music. The sight of it headbanging and bouncing around to her music was actually pretty adorable. She cracked a smile and covered her mouth as it sang along to the vocals with its strange, foreign language.

"What is that noise?"

She straightened up immediately, recognizing the voice of her World History teacher. There was a bang on the door and she jumped, ready to hide behind the nearest bookshelf. However, right before she scrambled away, she heard Mary's disembodied voice ask, "What noise?"

"Miss Wang, would you please move out of the way?"

There was another bang and she heard Mary yelp.

"Ahh! My elbow!"

There was shuffling outside and an 'oof!' from Mr. Strickler. Then, there was a crash and a pained groan, along with a cry from Darci that sounded a little to forced.

 _They're covering for me._

She looked down at the gnome, which had also stopped in its reveling to listen. It still held her phone in its arms, and it was still blasting Papa Skull. So, with as much care and grace as she could, she squatted down and leaned towards it. "Hey!"

The gnome squealed and jumped, twisting around to face her.

"Shh!" she shushed and opened her backpack. "Get in!"

It looked at her backpack, and then at her.

"Come on," she urged. "Do you wanna get caught by my teacher or do you wanna get out of here?"

The gnome mumbled something before nodding and jumping into her bag. Before she zipped it up, though, she extended a hand down. "Give me back my phone first."

It grumbled and handed it back to her. She smiled apologetically and zipped her backpack shut. Just as she slung it on her back, the door to the office opened and Mr. Strickler stepped in.

"Claire?" he called, and she paled. "What are you doing in my office?"

"I, uh… well, you see…." She scratched the back of her neck. "I wanted to apologize for sleeping through your class yesterday, but… well, you were busy, so I thought I'd just… leave a note."

She flashed him an innocent smile, but he gave her a scathing gaze in return. It was almost as bad as, if not on par or worse than, her mother's. However, after a minute had passed, he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I understand you are under a lot of pressure to keep your grades up, Claire," Mr. Strickler said, a friendly smile appearing on his face. "Being the daughter of a city councilwoman probably puts a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, doesn't it?"

She stared at him, suddenly feeling less nervous and more embarrassed. After a moment, though, she managed to nod. "Y-Yeah…."

He nodded and hummed. "Well, there's no real need to apologize then. Though, I must warn you that I'll start having to deduct participation points if you continue to doze off in my class."

"Then I'll be sure to stay awake," she said jokingly, and he smiled.

"Indeed. Very well then, I suppose I'll see you on Monday."

She nodded. "Yes, sir. See you Monday, Mister Strickler."

"I'll see you then, Miss Nuñez."

With that, she left his office and walked out into the hall. Both Darci and Mary were waiting outside, the former pacing nervously while the latter rubbed her elbow. The moment she stepped out the door, they looked up and smiled.

"Did you get it?" Mary asked, her voice dropping low.

Claire nodded. "Yeah." She held up her backpack and unzipped it partially, revealing the gnome's red hat. "One gnome caught and bagged."

"Oh, thank God," Darci said. "That could've been a disaster."

"No kidding," she said, starting down the hall. "Things could've gotten a whole lot worse."

* * *

"Hey, Mister Strickler?"

On the other side of the office, his World History teacher stopped rummaging through his desk to look over at him. "Ah, Young Atlas. It's good to see you."

Jim scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's good to see you too, sir."

With a warm smile, he gestured at him to enter. "Please, come in."

Without a word, he pushed the door open and stepped into his office.

It was the same as he remembered it, save for the disheveled piles of books and scattered papers that were usually neatly organized on shelves. Mr. Strickler, himself, looked a lot more unkempt than usual. His usually calm and composed face was pale and sweaty, and his normally combed and groomed hair was frazzled a bit.

With a raised eyebrow, he asked, "Are you okay, sir?"

Mr. Strickler, in response, snapped his head up from his desk. "Hm? Oh, yes. Yes, I'm quite alright." He pushed himself up and straightened his back with a grunt. "I've just misplaced my favorite pen."

To emphasize his point, his World History teacher picked up a stack of papers and peeked underneath them. Finding nothing, though, he hummed in dissatisfaction and set them back down. As Mr. Strickler moved onto the other side of the desk, however, he looked over at the papers.

The familiar sight of looping letters and beautiful, cursive writing drew his attention immediately. It was only after he spotted the name 'Claire Nuñez' written across the top, right corner that his suspicions were confirmed.

The corner of his lips tugged up and he blushed.

 _I gotta thank her for helping me with my presentation. There's no way I'm not getting an A after that… Still kinda weird she showed up out of the blue, though._

"Young Atlas?"

Jim blinked. "Huh?"

"Was there a reason you came to see me?"

He took a moment to remember why he'd come before answering. "Oh, right. Uh, well, my mom said that she had tonight off, so, if you wanted to… you know, come over for dinner again."

He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from his teacher. It was getting hot in the office. Really hot. As in, hotter than that time he and Toby tried racing through the canal on their bikes in the middle of the summer.

"That sounds wonderful," Mr. Strickler suddenly said, drawing him out of his thoughts. "I'll be sure to clear my schedule tonight."

"Alright," he said, shooting up and onto his feet. "Awesome… I'll just be going now."

He scurried away quickly, trying to get out of the conversation as fast as possible.

Even though Mr. Strickler was probably the nicest human being he'd ever met, and also the best teacher he'd ever known, there was still nothing that could stop him from feeling some embarrassment at having his World History teacher more-or-less date his mom.

"Ah, just one moment, Young Atlas."

He stopped in front of the door and turned around, hiding a sigh under his breath. "Uh, yeah? Er- Yes, sir?"

"I wanted to ask, how are things coming along with Miss Nuñez?"

His face probably got bright red, judging by how hot they felt. "I, uh- She- Well- Er-... They're… We're getting along…." He rubbed his arm awkwardly. "She actually helped me with my Spanish presentation today."

Mr. Strickler nodded, hands fumbling with themselves. "I see…. I must ask, though, have you noticed her, by chance, acting rather oddly?"

"I- What?" He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Um… no. I don't think so…. Why are you asking?"

The adult shrugged and looked away, turning his attention to the tribal masks along the wall. "No particular reason. I've just noticed that she's seemed rather tired these past few days."

He looked at him, studying the older man's face before he nodded. "Yeah, well, she did tell me she was getting some extra study time in. Oh, and she was also dealing with a raccoon in her house."

"A raccoon?"

"Yeah. I tried offering my help, but she said she had it handled, so I backed off." He shrugged his shoulders. "But, yeah. She's an honor roll student, so I bet she's just pushing herself harder than normal."

"Yes, I suppose," Mr. Strickler said. "Though, teens around your age group tend to participate in… nightly activities."

He blinked. "Um, what?"

"Oh, nothing. Just food for thought," he brushed off. "Though, I would caution you to get to know her better before professing your undying fidelity, Young Atlas."

He burned bright red again. "Y-Yeah, I'm doing that, sir. No worries. Bye!"

With that, he left Mr. Strickler's office. Though, his World History teacher's out-of-the-blue comment stuck in his head.

What could Claire possibly do that made her tired besides studying and rehearsing?

* * *

 **So, here's the first time we get to see Jim's perspective, as well as a tiny look at Mr. Strickler's suspicion.**

 **We're going to get a lot deeper into the main conflict soon, probably starting after or during the next chapter.**

 **Anyways, I don't really have a lot to say this time.**

 **I'm actually really tired while I'm typing this Author's Note. (Spent the last several hours of my birthday and thirty-minutes in the morning after publishing this chapter)**

 **So, I'll just end it here.**

 **If you haven't already, Favorite and Follow to stay updated; and don't forget to leave a Review if you've got some love to show.**

 **See you guys next time.**

* * *

 **Responding to 'The Sapphire One'**

 **I'd highly recommend creating a Fanfiction Account. I'm not sure how alright you are with having your conversations public, but having a Fanfic account would be really helpful. Especially since conversations and responses can be instant rather than a week or so apart.**

 **Anyways, with your current predicament. I don't know what kind of past friendships he's had or how they ended badly, but I don't think telling him you've lied about your name and your name alone will set him off. Not unless he's had a bad experience with that specific issue. In any case, I'm sure if you're honest with him, then things will turn out fine.**


	10. Issues in the Household

**Hi, guys.**

 **Finally got that chapter done.**

 **So, this is a bit of filler, more or less.**

 **Uh... I don't really know what to say besides thanks for toughing out the month long hiatus.**

 **Still really sorry about the wait.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

The last time she could remember her parents scolding her harshly was way back in sixth grade when she'd gotten a C on her math test. She remembered them standing over her, her dad wearing a disappointed face and her mom looking furious.

They'd blamed it all on her favorite cartoons and playing with her friends. She'd argued, of course, so they'd grounded her for a whole month. Of course, after that, 11-year-old her had been scared and desperate, so she'd studied day and night to appease her parents. Eventually, they let her do all the fun things she loved again, but that fear of punishment always lingered over her head like a storm cloud in the distance.

Now, however, the storm cloud was raining on her and she doubted she could appease her parents so easily this time.

"I don't understand. You're a good girl, Claire," her mom said. "Why would you run off and do God-knows-what?"

They were in the living room; her sitting down on the couch and her parents standing over her. Almost a perfect reflection of five years ago. She kept eye contact with them, knowing her mom would tell her to look up if she didn't.

"I'm not doing anything, mom," she said, holding back her frustration.

"Then why are you out all the time? Who are you with?"

"No one." _Trolls._

Her mom stared her down. She stared back, but with less anger and more fear. Her dad looked between them, definitely on her mom's side, but not totally against her.

"Come on, mi amor. We don't need to get loud."

"Our daughter is running around town when we're not home and you're not worried?"

"Of course, I'm worried, Ophelia. ¡Tengo mucho miedo!" he confessed, face falling and a sudden tiredness coming over him.

She looked at her dad, a tidal wave of guilt washing over her.

"But if it's a boy, then I'm going to be very mad!" he declared, snapping his head and jabbing a finger at her.

"What? A boy?"

"Yes, a boy."

"Papá, I don't have a boyfriend."

"I always see you talking and hanging out around boys at school."

"Papá!" she cried, more offended than anything else. "I have friends that our boys, but not a boyfriend. I've only ever hanged out with Jim."

She shut her mouth immediately and turned her head down, but she could already feel her parents shooting her looks.

"Jim?" her mom asked.

She tensed up, shoulders hunching and head sinking. "I, uh… Y-Yeah, Jim… from school."

She tried acting innocent, shooting them a smile and stifling the urge to turn red. Yet, she felt the corner of her lips quivering and the sweat forming on her brow while her face turned as hot and as bright as the sun.

Risking a glance up, she looked at her parents and found neither of them buying her charade.

"So, you've been sneaking out with this boy?"

"Wh-What? No!" she cried out, heading shaking and hands in the air. "No! No! No! He's just a friend. We're not- I'm not- He just-"

She tried telling them that they were friends and she definitely did not see him as anything more, but her words just tumbled out and spilled out. So, she shut her mouth again and breathed in deep. "I've... only hung out with him once; during lunch yesterday. I was helping him with his Spanish presentation."

Her dad dropped his crossed arms, but not the concern on his face. "Then why are you always out, mija?"

"Well, I just… like to rehearse outside."

They blinked. Her dad tilted his head and her mom dropped her arms, both their faces taking on confused looks.

"What?" her mom asked. "Claire, you have a bedroom for a reason."

"Y-Yeah, I know, but… well, you know that cliff that my friends and I like to go to-"

Alarm flashed across her mom's face immediately and she cried out, "Claire!"

"What?" she asked, flinching. "It's nice up there, and it feels like a stage."

That wasn't a lie. When she practiced her lines in her room, it felt so… mundane. Yet, whenever she had gone up there to that cliff overlooking Arcadia, it just felt so magical and wondrous. It was like a real stage and she was the star actress under the sun's spotlight. It also helped that Darci and Mary, whenever they went with her up there, usually clapped to her performances.

Claire shook her head lightly and looked back up at her parents. Both were looking at her, uncertainty written all over their expression. She didn't blame them. It was pretty hard for her to believe that she walked from school to the cliff every day. However, the lack of any opposing evidence pretty much pushed them to concede to her excuse.

"Well… Er…."

For once, her mom looked like she was at a loss for words. Her dad, on the other hand, had his face covered as he sighed.

Twiddling with her thumbs, she timidly looked up and asked, "So… can I go to my room now?"

* * *

After a scolding, some negotiations, and a final settlement on her texting them on her whereabouts and not going to 'the cliff' every day after school anymore, her parents finally let her out of their sight.

She was thankful for that. The intensity of their scathing gazes had almost incinerated her.

Flopping down on her bed, she sighed and groaned and let relief flood through her body at finally resting after an entire day of running from one situation into another.

Speaking of which, there was a quiet set of chittering coming from her nightstand.

Looking over, she met the gnome's eyes and gave it a tired look. The gnome, in return, mumbled something and went back to playing with its pen… Wait.

She shot up straight and looked at Mr. Strickler's pen, and then at the gnome. Their gazes met, and she narrowed her eyes.

"That's not yours!" she said and pointed an accusing finger. "That's Mister Strickler's."

The gnome looked at her, then her finger, then at the pen in its hands. Then, it blew a raspberry and laughed. She might've turned a little red, to say the least. "Hey!"

She swiped at the gnome, but it scurried back and jumped off her dresser. Before it could fly off into some hidden corner of her room, though, she slid off her bed and grabbed one end of the pen.

The gnome growled and tried tugging it out of her hands, but she just pulled back. They struggled for a few seconds, but there was an audible click before she felt the pen's cap come off.

Claire cried out in surprise as she fell backwards, landing on her butt and hitting her back against the side of her bed. Groaning, she rubbed her spine and glared at the gnome.

The gnome, however, did not look back at her. Instead, it stared at the pen cap in its hands. She followed its gaze, and then looked down at the rest of the pen, herself. A strange, bronze key engraved with trollish-looking markings glinted back at her.

"What in the world?" she breathed. "Did you know this was here?"

Across from her, the gnome shook his head and babbled something before handing her the pen cap. She took it without a word, still baffled.

 _Why is this in here? Why would Mr. Strickler need this? What does it even unlock?_

She scratched her head and capped the pen. "Question for another day- Ah!"

She let out a small scream at the sound of something hitting her window. On instinct, her hand flew to her pocket and she dug around for the Amulet. By the time she pulled it out, though, whatever had tried attacking her window had vanished; only to hit it again.

She managed to stifle her second scream and stand up, pocketing the pen. Mustering her courage, she held the Amulet up and readied herself to call the incantation, but when the third hit sounded, she furrowed her brow.

 _"Is someone throwing rocks at my window?"_

With a frown and a mental list of all the people would could possibly be trying this high school drama cliché, she opened her window and peered outside. Honestly, she was expecting Darcy or Mary to be holding some pebbles, or even Steve, seeing as he usually pulled out every romance cliché out of a cheesy, teen drama. However, instead of any of her classmates standing outside, there was one Blinky and one Aaarrrgghh hiding among the shrubbery beside her house.

"Blinky?" she hissed, and he lit up with a grin.

"Master Claire!" he called, but then cringed and peeked to his right and left. Lowering his voice, he called again, "Master Claire, you missed your training again!"

"I know!" she whisper-shouted back. "My parents are on to me!"

He tilted his head. "Onto you? I did not realize humans of your age still required, er-... 'babysitting', was it?"

She shot him a confuddled look. "What? No, I mean they know I'm sneaking out all the time!"

While he hummed and rubbed his chin, she looked over her shoulder at her bedroom door. She didn't hear her parents in the hall or anyone calling her name. They were probably still downstairs. Still, she didn't want to have to explain why she was whisper-yelling out her window, especially after explaining how she didn't have a boyfriend.

"Blinky!" She snapped her fingers. "Blinky! Hey, Blinky! Meet me in the backyard!"

Before he could argue, she shut her window. Looking to her left, she spied the gnome sitting on a couple throw pillows, watching the scene with interest.

"Uh, stay here," she instructed. "I'll… bring up some food for you… or something."

With that, she left her room and made her way downstairs. She crept more than walked, a little too afraid of her parents' wrath still. Thankfully, her dad was too busy playing with Enrique and her mom was too busy talking on the phone to notice her sneaking downstairs and out the backdoor.

Outside, the night was filled with moonlight and the sound of chirping insects; and also, Blinky and Aaarrrgghh rustling the bushes nearby.

"Master Claire," Blinky called, "over here."

Crossing her arms and rolling her eyes, she strode over to him.

"So then, your mother is keen to your nightly activities?" he asked.

"Yes," she sighed. "Apparently, my neighbor's seen me coming home late and she told my parents about it, so… I'm grounded."

"I don't see how restricting you to the ground is much of a punishment," Blinky remarked. "Do humans fly?"

She glared at him. Why couldn't conversations with trolls just be easy?

"Okay, look," she said sternly, "I can't just run off and be the Trolhunter. I've told you that before."

He took offense to that, apparently, seeing as he shot her an aghast look. "But, Master Claire, your destiny-"

"Stop saying that!" she cried, throwing her arms up in the air. "I didn't want this ' _destiny_ '! I just want to be an actress!"

Both trolls looked at her, a bit of fear in their eyes. Her cheeks flushed red and she pursed her lips, holding in her heated breath. A moment passed before she sighed and groaned and finally decided to take a seat on one of the rocks bordering her father's pepper garden.

"I'm sorry I yelled," she apologized, absentmindedly taking out the pen from her pocket. "It's just- I didn't… want to be this. I'm just an ordinary, teenage girl. Okay?"

Her eyes stayed fixed onto the ground, eyeing the grass in the moonlight. However, when she heard the soft footfalls of Blinky's stone feet on the backyard lawn, she looked up. He was offering a sympathetic smile and a guilty show of fumbling with his four hands.

"I understand that your de- _predicament_ was suddenly placed upon you, Master Claire," he said, taking a seat beside her. "Fate rarely calls upon us at the moment of our choosing."

A hand hovered over her shoulder before giving it a light touch. She might've jumped off she didn't look at her mentor and see the softness in his face.

"Humans are different from us, trolls," he mused. "Yours is a culture of art and peace. Ours is a culture of battle and honor. I suppose that is why there has always been a divide separating our worlds."

She nodded, mouth still pursed, but face showing more understanding than stress.

"But you, Master Claire, you are the Trollhunter. The first _human_ Trollhunter," he proclaimed with a solemn tone; and she could tell that he was holding back his usual gusto and pride. "You are the bridge between our worlds. A hero who knows both kindness and callousness."

She nodded again, looking back down at the grass with less fatigue and more thought. "Yeah… I guess."

The hand on her shoulder clasped it just a little tighter and she looked up at him again. His smile had turned from sympathetic to encouraging, getting a little bigger and a bit brighter. "Indeed, my friend. Remember, your destiny is not a burden."

"It's a gift," she finished and smiled. "Thanks, Blinky… I needed that."

"Of course, Master Claire," he said. "It would do you know good if you had a crisis of duty in the middle of your rematch with Draal."

A groan escaped her before she could stop it. "Please don't remind me of that."

She hid her face in her hands as Blinky pulled his hand from her shoulder. From between her fingers, she could see Aaarrrgghh nudging her mentor with a glare.

"Oh, yes, I apologi- Great glaring light of the sun! Master Claire, what is that?"

Suddenly startled, she jumped and looked at them both. Blinky and Aaarrrgghh looked back at her, their eyes wide and round with horror etched all over their faces.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"That," Aaarrrgghh declared and pointed at her hands.

She brought them up and studied Mr. Strickler's uncapped pen.

"Uh, my World History teacher's pen?" she said and eyed them suspiciously. "Why are you asking?"

Both trolls shared a look before Blinky clasped his hands. "That, Master Claire, is a changeling key."

She stared at him, then looked down at the pen. Her brain tickled at the familiar name. Then, she remembered the past couple nights of staying up late, studying the volumes of Troll lore she'd borrowed.

A few pages came to mind and she briefly recalled a few sentences of trolls with human disguises, as well as the titles: 'Servants of Gunmar', 'Gunmar's ears', and 'the Janus Order'.

Then, she looked down at the pen again; this time with wide eyes. She opened her mouth, but all she managed to utter was, "What?"

"It would appear, that your teacher may very well be a changeling in disguise," Blinky said and she gave him a stupefied look.

"Wh-What? No! No, that's not- No!" she sputtered, hands gripping her head. "Mister Strickler can't be a changeling, he's so- so nice and helpful and he's dating Jim's mom!"

She stopped herself there.

 _Wait, why does Jim's mom matter? Why am I thinking about Jim?_

She shook her head to clear it. Then, she met Blinky's gaze again and crossed her arms. "Look, there's… there's just no way that Mister Strickler can be a changeling. Maybe he just found the pen at a garage sale; or something."

Blinky shook his head in argument and crossed his arms too—all four of them. "Highly unlikely. While we, trolls, are secretive of our existence, changelings are thrice so; or rather, a hundred-fold. They go to further and more deplorable lengths to keep themselves hidden from both our worlds."

His wording was as extravagant and regal as ever, yet she couldn't help but think of what 'deplorable' meant. Thanks to her previous reading of Troll lore, though, she had a pretty good idea.

Yet, she couldn't even dream up any situation that would have Mr. Strickler doing something horrible or evil. The best she could come up with was imaging him giving her an F for no reason.

She shook her head again. "But, there's- Ugh. You know what? Fine. I'll prove he's not a changeling."

"And how do you plan on achieving this task?"

"I just need a… Giggle-Tick, right?"

The disappointment washed over his face, and she shrunk at his condescending look. "It is pronounced _Gaggle-tack_ , Master Claire."

"Okay. Sorry," she said, holding up her hands. "But, I just need one of those to prove he's just a human, right?"

"Or to reveal his deception," Blinky added with a raised finger. "Either way, we must equip you with one at once!"

"Claire?"

Claire jumped up immediately at the sound of her dad's voice.

"Mija, are you out there?"

She stared at the front door, then glanced at her troll friends.

"Uh… ¡Sí, papá!" she called. "I'm just practicing outside!"

"Alone? In the dark?"

A silhouette appeared in the backdoor. She gestured hastily at Blinky and Aaarrrgghh.

"Yeah! It's not too dark out!"

She heard the backdoor opening just as the trolls disappeared into the dark of the brush.

"Claire, I can barely see out here," her dad said, walking over with Enrique in his arms. "Come inside before it gets too cold too."

"Alright," she said and followed him inside, stealing glances over her shoulder all the way.

* * *

Usually, the Lake household was quiet at night, save for the buzzing of some movie or tv show that Jim had turned on while he worked on his homework. Tonight, though, his home was filled with the muffled laughter of his mom—who'd covered her food-filled mouth—and the pleasant laughter of his World History teacher.

"And I said to him, 'Truly, you must be a master at the art of discipline if you can handle a single, problematic student with such prowess!'"

Sitting beside his mom, across from Mr. Strickler, Jim cracked a smile and gave a small, awkward laugh. Meanwhile, his mom swallowed her food and gave a full laugh filled with mirth and amusement. She didn't seem to notice him shrinking down while she and his teacher laughed, but she did notice when he poked his food.

"Is something wrong, Jim?" she asked, the bright joy gone from her face. "You usually eat up your plate."

Caught, like a deer in headlights, he combed his brain for something to give them.

"No. No, I'm alright," he said, leaning away when she tried to feel his forehead. "Just… thinking about things. That's all."

She raised an eyebrow and he gave an anxious smile.

Before she could press further, however, their dinner guest cut her to the chase. "And by things, do you mean Ms. Nuñez, Young Atlas?"

He must've turned as red as the tomatoes he'd used in the salad they were eating. There was literally no other way to explain why his face was as hot as the sun. Or why his mom was smirking so smugly.

"How are things with… um, Claire, right?"

"Y-yeah, her name's Claire," he stammered, a little, too-very-much embarrassed to be having this conversation in front of the two adults, "and things are… alright."

His mom tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Alright?"

"Well… great." He gave a goofy grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "She kinda helped me with my Spanish presentation today."

Surprise took his mom's face, widening her eyes and raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Y-Yeah," he said, still wearing the goofy grin. "We met up during lunch yesterday and she helped me check my spelling and grammar and stuff…."

"Well that was nice of her," his mom said before chewing on some of her salad. "Maybe she likes you too."

His heart jumped to his throat and he almost choked on it. Suddenly, he was feeling a lot hotter and he tugged the collar of his shirt down to let some of the heat out.

"I-... You th-think?"

Mr. Strickler cleared his throat then, drawing their eyes to him. "Well, we cannot speak for Miss Nuñez, but when a young lady offers to spend time with you, it often means she's taken a liking to you."

The sarcasm was palpable in his voice and Mr. Strickler couldn't help but crack a smile. His mother giggled and tried to keep a straight face while he just slumped in his seat, embarrassed.

"Gee, thanks, Mister Strickler."

His World History teacher chuckled. "I apologize, Young Atlas, but it is the truth. Perhaps, Claire does hold some feelings of affection towards you. I've noticed her stealing glances at you every now and then."

Claire looked at him? Like how he looked at her? ...Okay, that sounded weird; but could she actually, maybe—potentially—be interested in him too?

He fiddled with his fingers under the table and shifted anxiously in his seat. Thoughts ran through his head, a few doubtful and others dreamy. More than one image popped up of him asking Claire out and her swooning over him with Steve falling to his knees in the background.

Jim smirked at his salad until his mom cleared her throat. She was giving him a strange look and he turned red again.

"Uh, sorry, I-"

Before he could finish, a ringtone went off from Mr. Strickler's side of the table and his World History teacher pulled out his phone. The table was silent while they watched him skim over something on his phone. Then, he sighed and stood up.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "but I'm afraid my time here is up." He pushed in his chair and gave a bow. "Thank you for your hospitality."

"You're always welcome here, Mister Strickler," his mom said as she got up too.

In one swift motion, he took his mom's hand a pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "I thought we were past formality, Barbara."

She blushed. "I'm sorry, Walt."

Jim looked between them, eyes just a little wide and stomach definitely flipping. The awkwardness meter had shot sky high and he really needed to do something before they started making out on the dinner table.

 _Okay, don't need that image in my head._

He shook his head and coughed loudly. The adults turned their attention to him and he darted his eyes between the both of them. Mr. Strickler coughed and fixed the collar of his turtleneck while his mom flushed red.

"Um, I'm going to start cleaning up," he said and took their plates. "Goodbye, Mister Strickler."

"Goodbye, Young Atlas," he said, "I'll be sure to see you in class tomorrow."

He gave his World History teacher an awkward smile before he got up. Stacking the plates and putting their forks on top, he took them to the kitchen and turned on the faucet. As he grabbed the sponge and started washing the dishes, he listened in on his mom saying her goodbyes.

His stomach was still flipping, probably doing somersaults—forward and backwards—at this point. He liked spending more time around his teacher. Mr. Strickler was just so nice and kind, but… it was super awkward and super weird seeing him flirt with his mom.

He squeezed another dab of soap onto the sponge and scrubbed off the ranch on a plate. Down the hall, he heard the front door shut and his mom stride back over to the dining room. A minute later, she set down the bowl of salad and brought an armful of cups to him.

"I'll finish the dishes if you want to put away the leftovers," she said.

He shrugged. "Alright."

Drying his hands after washing off the suds, he traded places with his mom. He grabbed the ceramic wrap from one of the cabinets while she scrubbed their plates. They stayed quiet for a moment, silently working the routine they'd done for years.

Then, though, he noticed his mom glanced at him. The moment he made eye contact, she looked away, but then sighed. "Jim, I'm sorry if dinner was… awkward for you."

He shrugged again. "It's… fine."

He wrapped up the salad bowl but stopped before picking it up when he heard the faucet turn off. Looking over, he met his mom's gaze again.

"Jim," she said and pursed her lips. "I… I know this is strange and weird for you, but-"

"He makes you happy, mom," he finished, giving a small smile. "That's all that matters to me."

She stared at him, a dubious expression covering her face before it turned into a soft, glowing one of contentment. "Thank you, Jim."

"No problem, mo-"

Before he could finish, he heard a crash from outside. Both he and his mom jumped at the noise, but he narrowed his eyes a second after.

"Racoons," he growled and walked over to the backdoor, grabbing the broom next to it. "I'll deal with them."

He opened the door and walked outside, his mom's voice following him, "Be careful, Jim! You never know if they have rabies or not!"

It was dark out, but thanks to the moonlight he could see the outline of most things in his backyard: the shed, a tree, their old grill, and the fence lining around it all. However, all the details of his surroundings were hidden from him and he squinted his eyes vainly in an attempt to make out the shapes of any racoons.

"Come on," he mumbled, holding the broom up. "Where are you?"

A rustling sounded near him and he darted his head over. He gave a cry and smacked his broom down on a bush but found it empty. He frowned and pulled the broom back, then turned around, right into Mr. Strickler.

"Ahh!" he screamed.

"Young Atlas! Calm yourself!" his teacher said, grabbing him by the shoulders. "It's only me."

He looked the older man over and patted his shoulders to make sure he was real before he started sputtering, "I- Wh-Why- What are you doing in my backyard?"

Mr. Strickler, in turn, pursed his lips and took a breath. "I apologize, but I while I was entering my car, a few ungraded papers I'd forgotten to put in my bag flew out. I attempted to retrieve them, but..." He shook his head while Jim kept staring. "Do me a favor, would you, Jim? If you find those papers, could you return them to me?"

"I… uh, sure?" he replied, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head.

Mr. Strickler smiled and strode towards the backyard gate, opening it effortlessly. "Oh, and do remember to lock your gate next time."

With that, he disappeared, leaving Jim to stand in the night. A minute or two passed before he processed what had just happened. Then, with a bit of unease in the pit of his stomach, he made his way inside. The whole way in, though, he couldn't shake the feeling that he as being watched.

* * *

 **Alright, end of the chapter.**

 **Next time's the museum trip.**

 **Gonna divert a lot from canon in there.**

 **I'm pretty excited for that chapter.**

* * *

 **In response to 'The Sapphire One':**

 **Sorry that this is a month after you said you did the thing, but it's awesome that you did it.**

 **And to answer your question: To get an account, all you have to do is go to the top right of your browser on the webpage.**

 **There should be a prompt to create an account, and all you'll need to do is type your username, password, and use an e-mail address.**

* * *

 **Back to the Author's Note.**

 **So, my first semester in my junior year of college is coming up.**

 **Wish me luck, guys.**

 **I'll still be working on writing and uploading chapters, but the updates will be slower.**

 **On the bright side, I'll be sitting on campus between classes, so that gives me tons of time to put my undivided attention on writing.**

 **So, it's a 50/50 on whether or not I'll start churning things out.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading.**

 **Favorite and Follow if you haven't and would like to stay updated; and leave a Review if you've got some nice words, ideas, or constructive criticism to share.**

 **Sincerely,  
Apex Primus**


	11. Hidden in Plain Sight

**Hi, guys.**

 **It's been about a week; maybe a week and a day.**

 **Here's the next chapter, as promised. I worked really hard on it.**

 **I hope you guys love it because I stuffed it full** **of Jlaire.**

 **I just really, _really_ love Jlaire, guys.**

 **Anyways, I'll let you get on with it.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

Originally, Claire had been enthusiastic about the school trip to the Museum of Arcadia. Not only were they getting out of school for an entire day, they were also getting the chance to explore an entire museum full of historical artifacts from all over the world. Nothing could've brought her down; not her parents' scolding or even Blinky's crazy idea that her World History teacher was a changeling.

However, as she stood under the hot sun with the rest of her classmates, all of them sweating and sulking, she could feel anything but enthusiasm.

It'd been about thirty minutes since they'd stepped off the bus and they had yet to go inside. The reason for that had been Mr. Strickler getting a head count, but now it was because their tour guide—an Asian woman who was also one of the museum curators—was busy spieling.

"I know contemporary media might lead you to believe European history is full of swords, sorcery, and scandal," Ms. Zelda Nomura said, giving exaggerated waves of her arms. "I assure you, the truth is far more interesting…."

She, along with most of the class, looked on, bored. The only exception was Eli, who had his hands clasped and an enchanted smile donning his face. Even Mr. Strickler looked bored as he stood beside Ms. Nomura, picking at his fingernails and rolling his eyes.

"And there's no better place to start than Renaissance Era Pottery."

Her class—minus Eli—let out a collective groan.

Thankfully, Mr. Strickler stepped in before their tour guide could continue, "Ah, Miss Nomura. Since we have limited time, perhaps it's best if they explore the museum on their own. Don't you think?"

Ms. Nomura barely opened her mouth before her class scattered.

Grouping up with Darci and Mary, the three of them raced their way into the museum lobby, following behind Steve and his friends, and running ahead of Jim, Toby, and Eli. Their class's combined laughter echoed off the walls as they scanned the directory together.

"Dude, dinosaur fossils are this way!" someone said and left.

"Yo, medieval weapons down… that hall!" someone else shouted and ran off.

Slowly, the crowd shrunk until she didn't have to budge someone out of the way to look at the board.

"So, what're looking for, C-Bomb?" Mary asked as she nudged up next to her. "You wanna be a goody two shoes and go see some of that renaissance pottery?"

She gave her friend a look before rolling her eyes.

"Renaissance era pottery?" she scoffed. "No thanks. I prefer renaissance era dresses."

She pointed at the named heading and quickly cross-referenced its location on the museum map. Within minutes, they were chatting and giggling down a hall. They passed paintings and ornate drapes, a few glass cases holding pottery and busts, and a big, red, crossed-out circle signifying an off-limits exhibit.

Eventually, they made their way up a flight of stairs and she gazed upon a set of tall, glass cases holding dresses, suits, and medieval suits of armor. Tall windows sat between each case, letting sunlight pour in and illuminate the exhibits, making it all magical.

"Hey, Claire." Darci nudged her with her elbow. "You better close your mouth before you catch a fly."

She rolled her eyes and turned her awe and wonder down from an eleven to a seven as they strolled past the exhibits. Studying each one, she took note of the differences between their design and modern designs. It was easy pointing them out, but it was hard wondering how to recreate them in a more functional way.

Though they looked uncomfortable, they also had a certain charm that enchanted her. One particular dress, a white and beige one with a golden tan top caught her eye.

"Look at that embroidery," she breathed, putting a gentle hand against the glass as she peered into it.

There was a hum from Mary and a snicker from Darci, but she ignored them as they walked off. A moment passed as she looked the dress over a couple times, picking out more and more details that either wowed her or just intrigued her.

Then, Steve leaned over beside her.

"Hey," he greeted, but she narrowed her eyes and ignored him. "Sorry, you got caught up in that little tiff between Lake and I."

She blinked and made a surprised face. Steve almost never apologized, especially if it was for bullying someone.

"But," he continued, ignoring her ignoring him, "I just want you to know, since joining the play, I feel like there's another side of me that really wants to come out."

She tilted her head and gave him a dubious look. "Really?"

He nodded and hummed. "Yeah."

She pursed her lips and watched him for a moment, internally weighing her options. Either she could accept his apology and be the better person, or she could rebuff it because he was probably lying… but if he wasn't….

"Apology accepted," she said, holding back a sigh. "You were acting like a huge jerk… but…." She swallowed. "Sorry about kneeing you in the gronk-nuks."

He gave her a look. She tilted her head again, and then looked away when she realized that she said gronk-nuks.

"Uh… nah, that's alright," he said after a while. "You're right, I was a huge jerk."

She hummed and went back to peering into the dress exhibit.

 _I wonder if it could fit me?_

Briefly, she fantasized about wearing the dress.

It'd be for a performance; better yet, it'd be for _the_ performance, when they finally played out the story of Romeo and Juliet for Arcadia on stage. She'd be wreathed in gold and white, standing under the spotlight as she called out to Romeo; pouring out her heart and declaring her love as he did. Then, Romeo would call to her and they'd speak their lines and play the dangerous game of love….

She smiled and blushed, then tore her eyes away from the dress.

 _Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself._

Running a hand through her hair, she looked back up at the dress.

Before she could go back to studying it, though, a voice spoke from behind her, "I wish our play had these costumes."

Glancing over her shoulder, she watched Jim step up beside her, his face a little red. She gave him a smile and a laugh. "I know, right? With our school budget, I'll end up doing the balcony scene in my bathrobe."

She expected him to laugh, or give a goofy smile, but instead, he cocked his head and said, "Hey, if anyone could pull it off, it'd be you. You're the only one on stage who looks like they know what they're doing."

For whatever reason, her heart fluttered and her smile got a bit wider.

"Thanks," she said, rubbing her left arm. "You should tell that to my parents."

His smile dropped, and he raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

She drew in a breath and sighed, then turned around to lean on the second floor railing. Beside her, Jim's friend, Toby, was messing around on his phone and further down the railing, a bunch of their classmates were huddled together, looking at someone's phone.

"Well," she said, "the one time I get a B, what's their advice? Drop the play."

Jim gave a shocked look before crying out, "Are they crazy? You were born for this! It's like- like-"

He stopped for a moment when his friend, Toby, nudged him and whispered something in his ear. She raised an eyebrow, but Jim just brushed it off.

"It's your calling," he finished, wearing a confident smile.

She rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"It'd be my second one," she mumbled, thinking back to last night's meeting with Blinky and Aaarrrgghh. "But, if acting's my calling, then what's yours?"

She watched him blink and open his mouth, only to close it.

"Uh…."

"Come on, Mister Guru," she said, crossing her arms. "What's calling you, Jim Lake Junior?"

Jim tugged at the collar of his shirt as he stammered, "Uh, well… I, uh…." He swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I… don't really know?"

He held up his hands and shrugged, giving a nervous smile, to which she giggled.

"Really?" she teased. "You can be so passionate about my future, but not about yours?"

Turning his eyes away, he leaned over the railing and rested his chin in his right hand. "I mean… I'm great at cooking. I guess I could be a chef; or something."

He shrugged, but she didn't relent. "But what do you like doing?"

She expected him to stammer and sputter and rub the back of his neck out while he tried formulating a sentence. Instead, however, he looked up. Their eyes met and she studied his sky blue eyes for the longest time.

She only stopped when he looked away, blushing as furiously as her. Neither of them said a word for a few minutes, continuing the reign of silence between them. Then, though, she noticed him looking back and she turned her eyes back on him.

"Honestly," he said, standing up, "I don't really want to know."

She stood up straighter, taking on a more serious face as he sighed. "I know that we're supposed to be getting ready to go to college and find a job and just be an adult in general, but…." He visibly bit back a groan. "Oh, this is going to sound super cliché, but I just want to have a little more adventure before I have to settle down."

Jim didn't meet her eyes again. Instead, he went back to leaning over the railing, head down and eyes watching the floor below. She watched him, though, and felt her fluttering heart drop just a bit.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she reached over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey," she said and he looked up, his eyes a little wide, "it's not a bad cliché."

For a second, he just stared at her. Then, he cracked a smile and laughed under his breath.

"Yeah… I guess."

* * *

Claire wasn't sure when she and Jim had stopped sharing their career interests. She wasn't even sure when they had left the dress exhibit. They'd transitioned so easily from talking and leaning to talking and walking.

Together, they'd walked down halls and through chambers, taking in the arts and relics on display. The entire time, they chatted about varying subjects, constantly shifting from one topic to another as they pointed out facts about each exhibit they came across.

It was around twelve-thirty when they headed back to the museum lobby, backtracking to the dress exhibit to find their way there.

"Well, this was fun," Jim remarked, smiling. "I honestly didn't think I'd like walking around the museum."

"Why's that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged, but also smirked. "Come on, you know how I am in World History class."

She snorted, but someone else spoke up, "Indeed, we do, Young Atlas."

Both of them tensed up at the voice of their teacher. Turning around, they found him standing there with a smile.

Mr. Strickler nodded at her. "Hello, Claire."

She gave him a small wave back. "Hi, Mister Strickler."

He turned to Jim then, his smile growing. "Young Atlas."

"Uh, hey, Mister Strickler," he said, waving too.

"How are you two?"

She exchanged a look with Jim and they both shrugged.

"Uh, we're good," Jim answered.

"That's wonderful to hear," Mr. Strickler remarked, but for some reason she felt like there was a second meaning she was missing. "I hope you both enjoyed the exhibits."

"We did, sir," she said, and he nodded.

Suddenly, though, the smile he wore turned into a frown and his gaze went from friendly to serious.

"Oh, before I forget," he said, "my pen went missing just yesterday. You wouldn't happen to have seen it, would you, Claire?"

 _"Your teacher may very well be a changeling in disguise."_

Suddenly, the pen in her pocket felt heavier than Daylight when she first held it and she tried her hardest to look as discreet as possible while hiding the indentation in her jeans. "Uh, I-I don't think so, sir."

"Are you certain?" he asked, cradling his chin. "You were the last person in my office before it disappeared."

There was a glint in his eye, a predatory look that sent chills crawling down her spine. Breathing was getting harder to do, what with her heart pounding and chest heaving. A whisper in the back of her head—suspiciously sounding like Blinky—told her to grab her Amulet and don her armor.

However, she resisted the urge to dig it out of her purse. She really didn't want to assault a perfectly normal human and scare the living daylights—no pun intended—out of her friend. She already had enough trouble hiding her secret, trollhunting life as it was.

Yet, she couldn't help but keep on listening to that Blinky-sounding-voice, because maybe, just maybe, he was onto something about her teacher being a changeling.

"Well, I-I remember seeing it on your desk," she said, wringing her hands in front of her. "B-But, I didn't take it, or anything."

She tried giving an innocent smile, but it shrunk at his unimpressed frown.

"Truly?" he asked, voice devoid of sympathy.

His gaze bore into her, burning a hole deep enough that he could see her heart and every secret she kept close to it. Yet, before he could look, Jim stepped in his way.

"Come on, Mister Strickler," he said, gesturing at her. "This is Claire, you're talking about here. You know, the honor roll student, usually gets A's on her tests, almost never turns things in late, helped me out with my Spanish presentation."

Jim counted off his praise on his fingers, keeping eye contact with their teacher the entire time. On the other side, Mr. Strickler looked back at Jim, his sudden callousness softening into uncertainty. Meanwhile, she fidgeted behind her friend, her pounding heart now fluttering and her cheeks burning with a blush.

"I suppose I see your point," Mr. Strickler said then, tugging at the collar of his shirt. "I apologize, Claire, if I caused you any discomfort."

She smiled timidly and gave a small shrug. "That's alright, sir. I'd be pretty mad too if I thought someone took something of mine."

He hummed and nodded. "Indeed." Lifting his arm, he checked the time on his watch. "It would seem that our time is almost up. Perhaps we should-"

Before he could continue, a rustling beside them drew their attention. Suddenly, they became aware of the fact that they were standing beside the unfinished exhibit, still marked off by a red, crossed-out circle. The white curtain behind the sign, however, had been lifted up by a museum curator/their former tour guide, Ms. Nomura, who was currently sticking her hand out and looking at their teacher.

"Strickla- Er, Mr. Strickler," she stumbled, noticing her and Jim standing there. "I've been looking for you, sir."

"Oh?" he said, turning his attention to the Asian woman. "Has one of my students caused an issue?"

Claire looked between the two adults, then glanced at Jim who shared the same, lost look. They shrugged at each other, waiting to see if they'd be included in the conversation or not.

Ms. Nomura shook her head. "No, they've been quite… pleasant."

She'd noticeably forced the word out, but Claire couldn't blame her. When she and Jim had walked around the museum, they'd found most of their classmates messing around rather than appreciating the exhibits. Thankfully, Darci and Mary weren't a part of that rowdy crowd.

Biting back the hilarious thought of both her besties causing chaos and pandemonium, she tuned back into the conversation.

"Actually," Ms. Nomura said, "it's about our shared acquaintance."

The Asian woman stepped out from the curtain, lifting it up briefly. Neither her or Jim could resist glancing past Ms. Nomura, the curiosity drawing their eyes to a large, stone structure set in an expansive chamber.

Whatever Jim's reaction was, she didn't catch it. She was too busy trying to comprehend the familiarity of the curved, jagged markings covering the exhibit.

There were whispers in the back of her head, tickling her brain with terms and definitions. She couldn't place any of them immediately, not until the curtain fell and Jim glanced at her.

"Are you okay, Claire?"

She blinked a couple times before giving him a nod. "Y-Yeah, just… thinking." Slowly, she craned her neck and looked at the conversing adults. Swallowing down her hesitation, she spoke up, "Um, excuse me?"

Both of them turned to look at her, their eyebrows raised.

"Yes, Claire?" Mr. Strickler asked.

She shifted nervously under their gaze, but managed to direct her voice towards Ms. Nomura, "Uh, well, I was wondering what exhibit you guys were working on in there?"

The Asian woman followed her eyes, looking over her shoulder at the closed curtains.

"Oh," she said, "I'm afraid that exhibit isn't ready to be shown yet."

"O-Of course, but, I was just wanting to know what it'll be about."

Ms. Nomura creased her lips, and suddenly, the courtesy she had shown beforehand had disappeared. With a hand cupping her chin, she looked off into the distance, in thought.

Beside her, Mr. Strickler looked a little tense, like he was about to get caught for something….

Claire moved her attention back to Ms. Nomura just as she answered her question, "Well, I'm not in any position to reveal the whereabouts of our newest exhibit, but I can tell you that it will be finished and open to the public in a little over a month."

A jerk of movement to their left drew Claire's eyes and she glanced at Mr. Strickler who glared harshly at the museum curator. Ms. Nomura, in turn, held her polite smile, but it almost seemed to turn smug as she glanced over at the other adult.

"Well, that's awesome," Jim suddenly spoke up. He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled nervously. "So, it's, uh… it's getting pretty late, right, Mister Strickler?"

Claire glanced at their World History teacher, then at the closed curtains. Those strange, familiar markings were haunting her mind, like distant memories that were right in front of her.

For a moment, she closed her eyes and breathed. She tried clearing her mind, but those whispers in the back of her head were still trying to tell her something… something about markings; about stone; about weird, ancient things that should mean something to her.

Why should they mean anything to her? She was just an ordinary, human girl… and the Trollhunter.

Claire ducked in a breath, and then patted the pocket on the side of her purse where the Amulet sat snugly.

Before Mr. Strickler could check the time again, she shouted, "I lost something!"

Both adults had been caught off guard, their faces wild and a bit disturbed. Beside her, Jim looked like he'd just had a heart attack.

"Is… that so?" Mr. Strickler said, cautiously.

She nodded, bashfully. "Y-Yes, sir. I- I think I left it by the renaissance dresses."

With that, she practically sprinted down the hall past him. There was a call behind her, but she ignored it as she navigated the halls to the dress exhibits, praying that Darci and Mary were still there. For added insurance, though, she pulled out her phone and called them.

"Hi, this is Darcy. Sorry, I can't answer the phone right now-"

Claire cursed, "Fudge-knuckles."

She called Mary's phone next.

A second passed... then another...

"Hey!"

She smiled. "Mary, thank God!"

"How's it going?"

She shook her head. "Not good. It's going really bad actually."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously-"

Without warning, a burst of laughter erupted on the other end of the line, startling her. Stumbling in her step, she almost ran into a glass case full of painted plates. Thankfully, she caught herself just before that happened.

"Sorry. Sorry, I'm not actually at the phone right now. But if you leave a message I'll-"

She didn't let Mary's voicemail finish, ending the call with a scowl.

"Come on, Claire," she muttered, crossing her arms and tapping her foot. "Think. Those markings were trollish. Where have you seen something like that before?"

She combed her memory. Picked apart every little thing that popped up. Anything and everything remotely related to trolls and stone relics, she held in her mental spotlight and scrutinized. Yet, the only thing she could place about that mysterious exhibit was that it was making the alarm bells in her head go off like she was fighting Bular again.

Holding the sides of her head, she groaned. "What am I going to do?"

If neither of her friends were answering, then they were either busy or their phones died. Either way, she didn't have a lot of time to keep calling before Mr. Strickler came to check up on her.

Claire looked at her phone, then glanced at the camera on its back.

A picture would work, but she'd have to get into the exhibit first. That would be impossible with Ms. Nomura and Mr. Strickler standing right in front of it. Not unless she had a distraction, or something….

"Claire!"

Or someone.

Jim came running down the hall—well, more like stumbling. By the time he stopped next to her, he was panting and heaving, falling over with his hands on his knees. He took a couple minutes to catch his breath, holding up a finger while he gulped in air.

As she watched him, though, she couldn't help but picture him in her plans. Suddenly, it seemed possible to distract the adults down the hall. She could sneak in and take those pictures, then get out before anyone noticed… but asking Jim to basically help her break the law?

"Jim?" she called in a quiet voice.

He looked up at her, taking in one big, final breath before standing up tall. "Y-Yeah?"

She fumbled with her hands and looked at the ground. "I… Can I ask you to help me with something?"

"Uh, yeah! Sure, anything!"

Daring a glance up at him, she spied the goofy grin he wore. Something squeezed her heart. It might've been the sudden realization that Jim looked absolutely adorable with that look to his face. Or it might've been the crushing realization that she was about to ask the boy who was crushing on her to do something illegal. Either way, she felt a weight drop on her shoulders.

Breathing in, then out, she asked, "Could you talk with Mister Strickler?"

"Talk with him?" He raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

"I… I don't know; something; anything. Just… keep him looking away from the exhibit. Okay?"

"Keep him looking away from- Wait." Jim sucked in a breath and she averted her gaze again. "Claire, you're not planning on-"

Her guilt-ridden face must've given it away, because suddenly, she heard Jim shifting his feet and turning around. Glancing up, she watched him run his fingers through his hair and mumble in an incredulous voice. Then, without warning, he turned back around and laughed. "O-Okay. Okay, you got me."

He smiled. She didn't.

"Please tell me this is a prank," he pleaded, but she shook her head.

"Look, Jim," she said. "I need to get a picture of that exhibit. I can't tell you why, or what it even is. All you need to know is that I need to."

He looked at her for a long while. She could practically see the gears turning in his head and the scale balancing his options.

He rubbed the back of his neck while looking away. "I-It's just a picture, right?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He blinked a couple times, glanced around, and then nodded. "...O-Okay."

She had to take a couple seconds to process his answer.

"Really?" she asked, eyes wide with surprise and sudden awe. "You're okay with helping me break the law?"

He shrugged and smiled. "Well… I did say anything.

The gesture was probably just his way of covering up his anxiety with comedy. Yet, she couldn't help but snort and giggle. She brought a hand up to stop herself, but her efforts were in vain and Jim's smile grew.

Claire didn't know what possessed her then. It might've been the heat of the moment, or some charitable part of her brain telling her Jim needed a reward. Or maybe it was that other voice in the back of her head that sounded like Mary, telling her that Jim was the cutest boy she'd ever known. Whatever it was, it compelled her to stand up on the tips of her toes and plant a chaste kiss on Jim's left cheek.

The full realization of what she'd done hit her the moment she stepped back. Both of their eyes shot open wide, though, Jim's seemed to glaze over.

While she blushed the hardest she'd ever blushed, Jim cupped the cheek she'd kissed and smiled dreamily.

She coughed into her fist then, bringing him out of his trance.

"I-... Thanks, Jim," she said, "for doing this."

He gave her one of his quivering grins and brought out those fingers guns he seemed to find of. "N-No problema."

* * *

"Problema is very big," he muttered while walking as casually as he could down the hall.

Emphasis on the 'as casually as he could'. How did people walk casually? What even was 'casually'? Should he stick his hands in his pockets and whistle? Nah, that would look stupid… or maybe it wouldn't?

Every other step, he alternated between jamming his hands in his jacket pocket or pulling them out.

"This is stupid," he said quietly. "But, Claire… she kissed me."

He could almost feel her lips on his cheek again. They were soft, and her hair had smelled so nice; and also, a little fruity, probably because of whatever shampoo she used.

A dopey grin showed up on his face again, but he fought it down when he spotted Mr. Strickler and Ms. Nomura, both still standing in front of the unfinished exhibit.

He sucked in a breath to calm his nerves. "Okay, here goes nothing."

He strut down the hall with purpose, drawing the eyes of both adults. Ms. Nomura was the first to notice him, raising an eyebrow and giving him a strange look. Mr. Strickler followed, doing the exact same thing, albeit, with a much more stupefied face.

"Young Atlas, what are you doing?"

"Um, nothing, sir," he answered, coming to on the right side of the curtains. "Wh-What are _you doing_?"

Immediately, he flinched and opened his mouth to take back the words. He didn't mean to say that so defensively; but he did, and, in response, Mr. Strickler narrowed his eyes.

"If you would like to know, Jim, I was waiting for you and Miss Nuñez to finish finding whatever personal belonging she misplaced." He glanced behind him, down from where he'd come strutting. "Has she found it yet?"

"Uh, no," he said. "She hasn't found her… phone, yet."

Mr. Strickler took on a thoughtful look and cradled his chin. "Her phone, you say? Why not call it and follow the ringtone?"

"We can't."

Jim bit his tongue and cringed at the abruptness of his reply. The suspicion on Mr. Strickler's face grew bigger and he raised an eyebrow.

"And why not?"

"B-Because…." He swallowed and wracked his brain for a reason.

There was movement down the hall then, and he glanced at the purple-clad figure of Claire making her way towards them. She was tip-toeing in her socks, her shoes held in one hand. Her eyes were wide, and he darted his eyes back up to the adults.

Mr. Strickler was in mid-turn, looking to investigate what had stolen his attention, when he blurted out, "Because she put it on silent!"

His World History teacher and the museum curator jumped. He gave a sheepish "sorry" immediately, but then shrugged his shoulders and lifted his hands up. Mr. Strickler didn't look too convinced at first, but slowly, the suspicion on his face dwindled. However, Ms. Nomura, who'd stayed silent the entire time, decided she wanted in on the interrogation too... Just his luck.

"Why did she turn it on silent?" Ms. Nomura asked, crossing her arms.

In the background, Claire stopped in her step and paled. He reflected her frightened composure for a second, but then swallowed and searched for a reason.

"Well," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "she… didn't want it to… ring out loud and bother other people?"

The adults shared a look before they nodded to each other.

"Does she require any assistance?" Mr. Strickler asked then. "I'm sure Ms. Nomura here could ask security to-"

"No!" he cried out immediately, startling both adults for the third time today.

Geez, he and Claire were going to give them heart attacks.

"I mean, no. She's… She's fine," he said, eyeing her stepping up behind Ms. Nomura. "She said that she might've dropped it while we were walking around the museum, so… uh, she told me to tell you that she'll find it and meet us at the bus."

Jim crossed his fingers behind his back.

Mr. Strickler hummed and gave him a skeptical look. "Truly?"

He nodded. "Y-Yes."

A minute passed in silence, with all of them watching each other. Claire, in the meantime, had frozen, one hand holding her shoes, the other lifting the curtain. The mentioned curtain swayed ever-so-slightly, just a tiny movement off from making a sound.

"Well then," Ms. Nomura said, turning around, "If everything is fine, then I'll get back to-"

The world slowed down, as if the whole planet had been dunked in molasses. He watched as Ms. Nomura turned, moving barely a centimeter as Claire backed away, letting go of the curtain. Mr. Strickler next to them was tilting his head up into a nod, but before he could bring it back down, Jim cried out, "Wait!"

Ms. Nomura snapped her head at him, eyes big and rounded, but full of fury instead of shock. Mr. Strickler, on the other hand, had a hand over his heart and gasped, "Young Atlas! What has gotten into you?"

Behind them, Claire lifted the curtain up and flashed him a smile and a thumbs up before sneaking in.

* * *

Claire only breathed a sigh of relief after the curtain had fallen and she'd walked about a meter in. Even then, she kept it as quiet as possible.

She had no idea if Ms. Nomura had been the only one in here. Though, it certainly looked like it.

The room in question was a wide and spacious exhibition hall with the only source of natural light being a skylight above. Crates were stacked up all along the walls, with canvas covers draped over some piles. Some of the crates were open, left empty on the ground.

Though, she could guess where their contents went.

Pushed up against the back wall of the exhibition wall was an incomplete, stone arch. Trollish markings adorned its sides, running in lines around carvings of troll warriors pitted in battle.

Her eyes scanned the exhibit, taking in the whole image before she pulled out her phone.

Taking pictures, she moved around it, all-the-while cross-referencing its appearance in her head. She drew up mental images of anything that looked similar or had the same significance. From her knowledge on human architecture, she could tell that it was probably some kind of archway… or a bridge.

Stepping around to the side of it, she eyed the unfinished walkway running the top of it, guarded by railings. After taking a photo of that, she moved back around to the front and eyed the markings. "I wonder what you say."

She reached into her purse for the Amulet, keeping her eyes trained on the carvings as she did. However, the moment she felt its cool, metallic surface, a horrible sensation overcame her.

It was like all her anxiety had balled up and settled in the pit of her stomach, weighing her down from the inside.

She gave a gasp and stumbled back, then looked down into her purse to find the Amulet glaring. Its blue light was unnaturally harsh; almost blinding. She had to blink away the brightness as she took it out.

Immediately upon holding it up, though, she felt an invisible force tugging it out of her hand. She stifled a gasp and tightened her grip in response. Then, she twisted to the left and right.

"Something's pulling it towards the bridge," she said to no one in particular. "Why?"

Taking a few steps forward, she watched the Amulet shine brighter and brighter while its humming nearly became a scream.

Then, a hand grabbed her shoulder.

She let out a shriek and twisted around, coming face-to-face with a security guard. Behind him, Mr. Strickler and Ms. Nomura were watching, both holding stoic expressions. Between them, Jim squirmed anxiously, averting his eyes from her.

The security guard crossed his arms. "You aren't supposed to be in here."

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Claire glanced to her left and watched Jim bounce his right knee anxiously. If it was anything to go by, then he must've been feeling frightened. Add on his sweating brow and pale complexion, then he was downright terrified.

She was in the same boat too, of course. Although, she was handling her soul-crushing anxiety a little quieter by crossing and uncrossing her legs, as well as fumbling with her hands.

Still, though, that didn't change the fact that they had broken the law and were now facing the consequences. That included having their phones taken, their parents called, and being held up so that they couldn't head back to school with the rest of their class.

Claire unclenched a hand and breathed in, then out.

She had to stay calm. If not for her, then at least for Jim. Speaking of which….

She looked over at him again, barely catching him stealing a glance at her. She almost smiled at him but stopped short. After a few seconds of silence, however, she half-heartedly joked, "Well, that could've gone better."

She flashed a small, sheepish smile. Jim looked at her for a moment, and then looked away.

"Yeah," he mumbled.

Her heart wrenched, and she writhed on the inside. She wanted to say something; an apology, maybe some encouraging or reassuring words. Yet, knowing that she'd dragged him into this—into something that should've just been Trollhunting business—stopped her.

Rubbing her arms, she breathed in, then out.

Beside her, she watched Jim look over at Mr. Strickler, who was busy talking with two police officers.

She was thankful that the museum hadn't pressed charges against her or Jim. They'd actually been pretty lenient with them. She suspected Mr. Strickler and Ms. Nomura might've had a hand in that.

Too bad they couldn't get them to give their phones back. She was probably getting a hundred texts from everyone at school, and probably a thousand from Darci and Mary alone.

She glanced at Jim again, and wondered how many texts he was probably getting. His friend, Toby, was probably blowing up his phone, and she imagined his parents- Er, parent was….

Claire sighed heavily and put her face in her hands.

Thinking about Jim's mom, a single parent, dealing with this was making the guilt in her overflow.

"Hey."

She blinked and looked up, then over at her literal partner-in-crime.

"A-Are you okay?" Jim asked.

She stared him for a bit, a little stunned.

"I… Am I okay?" she questioned. "Are you okay? I dragged you into this mess."

She gave a weak gesture with her arms, but Jim just shrugged.

"I mean, we're not in too much trouble-"

"James Anton Lake Junior!"

They both jumped and looked to the front doors where a red-headed woman came marching in. She stopped just past the entrance, adjusting her glasses with a scowl. Then, after taking in the sight of the museum lobby, she made a beeline for Jim.

Beside her, Jim stood up and held up his hands. "M-Mom. Look, I-"

"I don't want to hear it," the woman, his mom, snapped. She pinched the bridge of her nose while Claire looked between them. "I can't believe- Why would you- Urgh!"

She bared her teeth and twisted around, looking away from Jim. A loud sigh came from her and Claire watched her shoulders slump.

The sound of leather shoes on the tiled floor drew her attention to an approaching Mr. Strickler. He wore a sympathetic face as he came up to Jim's mom, holding out his arms.

"Hello, Barbara," he greeted politely, keeping a respectable distance. "I'm sorry we are meeting under these circumstances."

Jim's mom looked at him and breathed in, then let the breath tumble out. Then, she turned back around and faced them.

Her face shifted between anger and sorrow; jumping from an angry red shade to a softer pink one. Her arms remained crossed and her body stayed stiff, up until she brought a hand up to hold her forehead.

"Jim," she called, voice almost cracking, "what-..." She swallowed. "What were you thinking?"

Beside her, Jim opened his mouth, then closed it. His shame was showing up in red all over his face as he looked down at the ground. He opened his mouth again, but then closed it all the same. The only answer he could really give was a shake of his head.

Looking back up, Claire watched his mom sniff and sigh, then turn her furious, blue eyes on her.

"Maybe you can answer me," she said, glaring at her.

Though she'd survived an encounter with Bular, she had to give Jim's mom a higher score on the intimidation scale. In an instant, the color had drained from her face and her body had frozen up out of fear.

She opened her mouth. "I-I… I- Uh…." She summarily closed her mouth.

Jim's mom's glare was threatening to burn her alive.

"Mom," Jim suddenly spoke up. She looked at him immediately and he flinched under her scathing look. "Look, it wasn't her fault."

"Then it was yours?" she snapped.

"I… Yeah, it was."

Claire watched him, wide-eyed and mouth agape.

Had he seriously just taken all the blame? Without question or regret?

Suddenly, before Jim or his mom could continue, Mr. Strickler coughed and called, "Young Atlas."

The name alone made the boy next to her visibly shrink a bit.

"Might I ask, are you certain?"

Jim swallowed, and she waited for him to speak.

"Y-Yes."

"Truly?" Mr. Strickler pushed. "This wasn't Miss Nuñez's idea?"

Their World History teacher's eyes drifted to her and she sat under them like a deer caught in headlights.

"N-No, sir," Jim said. "It… It was all my idea."

Mr. Strickler looked at him, then looked back at her. "Claire, your input?"

She fidgeted for a brief second, collecting her thoughts and weighing her options. Either she could confess, or she could go along with Jim's story. Both were horrible, but at least with one, she might get Jim out of too much trouble.

Unfortunately, before she could even open her mouth, Jim's mom perked up and snapped her head at her. "Claire? This is Claire?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Jim tensing up.

"Yes," Mr. Strickler said, "this is Claire Nuñez."

Those blue eyes of Jim's mom studied her for a moment, taking in everything about her. They darted all over her seated figure and then narrowed.

A disgusted sound rolled out of her mouth and she looked at Jim. "Really, Jim?"

"Wh-What?"

His mom jabbed a finger at him. "Don't play dumb with me, young man!"

"Mom, I swear to you, all of this was my-"

"It was me!" she blurted out then. "I- I asked Jim to help me sneak into the exhibit." She looked down and away from their eyes. "I just wanted to see what it was… so I convinced him to help me."

It remained silent after she gave her confession. No one so much as moved a muscle for a good couple minutes. The only thing she could hear was hers and Jim's bated breaths.

Finally, though, Jim's mom spoke up, "Mr. Strickler?"

"Yes, Barbara?"

"Is everything already settled with the police?"

"Almost," he answered. "We've already given them firsthand accounts, but they'll need to speak with you-"

"Alright." She straightened her scrubs and turned towards the two police officers nearby. "Jim, go wait in the car."

Jim looked at her. "W-Wait, but-"

She whirled around like one of the training dummies in the Hero's Forge, showing no mercy as she jabbed a finger in her son's chest. "If I so much as hear another 'but' from you, then I will ground you until you are thirty, do you understand me, mister?"

The tension in the air was thick. Claire could almost feel it suffocating her lungs.

A few seconds passed before Jim finally conceded, bowing his head in defeat. Then, with a grunt, he stood up, his mom watching his every action like a hawk the entire time.

Without warning, though, she snapped her head at her.

"And you," she said, pointing an accusing finger, "stay away from my son."

With that, she pointed at the entrance and Jim obediently walked away, throwing a single look over his shoulder at her. She couldn't bear to meet it, however, and kept her eyes on the ground as the tears welled up in her eyes.

What had she done?

* * *

 **If you were wondering, the tragic ending was planned all along.**

 **The original idea, though, was to get everyone in trouble; i.e. Darci, Mary, and Toby along with Claire and Jim.**

 **However, as I wrote the chapter, I just kept rolling with Jlaire scenes and just made this chapter Jlaire-centric, with the tragic separation by the parents.**

 **I mean, who can blame them?**

 **Barbara hears her son broke the law, picks him up, and finds out it's because his crush convinced him too.**

 **That's like, ringing a lot of alarm bells.**

 **Anyways, as for the other consequences of this... well, you'll see in the next chapter.**

 **We're gearing up for the Claire vs. Draal rematch. At the same time, getting caught breaking the law is not going to go well with Claire and her parents.**

 **Also, Mr. Strickler's pen is still at large and you guys will get a glimpse at how things are on the other side of the playing field with Bular and the changelings.**

 **Favorite and Follow if you want to keep up with the story, and leave a Review if you'd like to share some nice words, ideas, or constructive criticism.**

 **Sincerely,**

 **Apex Primus**


	12. Words Hang in the Air

**Hi, everyone.**

 **Sorry for the massive delay on this chapter.**

 **It took me a pretty long while to plan this one out.**

 **I'll talk about that at the end.**

 **Anyways, I hope you like this chapter.**

 **Expect the next one pretty soon because that one I've got planned out pretty well.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

"You're late."

Stricklander leveled a condescending look at his compatriot as she opened the door of the Museum of Arcadia's loading dock. Nomura, in turn, leveled a glare at him.

"I'm sorry, the police held us up," she sneered. "I've only just finished my sweep of the museum. There's no one left except for the security guard."

She shut the door behind him quietly, barely making it rattle as she locked it back up. Darkness overcame them at once, shrouding everything in a veil of shadows. Any normal person would be stumbling around, searching for the light switch. They, however, did not need lights to guide them.

Shedding a portion of their disguise, they let their changeling eyes guide them through the dark halls. They navigated their way from the back of the museum to near the front, where the closed exhibition hall awaited them. Their path went unobstructed for most of the journey, but near the end they crossed paths with the lone security guard patrolling the building.

He didn't notice them slip into the corners or jump up and cling to the ceiling when he turned to investigate the squeak of one of their boots on the tiles. When he finally left with a shrug, they dropped back down with a quiet thud.

"That was careless," he hissed.

"It was your boot," Nomura hissed back.

He rolled his eyes and stepped past a window, glancing briefly between the drawn curtains to spy nighttime Arcadia. He regarded it with an emotionless face; or rather, a conflicted one—in the sense that his contempt for Mankind and his love for the Human world had fought to a standstill.

His inner turmoil, however, was disrupted the moment Nomura brushed past him. He shot a glare at her back before quickly regaining his place in front of her with a few hasty steps.

A few minutes passed before they finally arrived at the entrance of the exhibition hall, still marked off by the crossed-out, red circle.

He picked up the curtain covering the threshold and stepped through. The moment he placed one foot into the hall, however, a low, cold voice called out, "Stricklander."

He paused before looking up to regard the burning orange eyes of his compatriot. "Bular."

The son of Gunmar growled and stepped out of the shadows, walking into the dim moonlight that poured out of the skylight above. His brutal, craggy figure towered over him, but Stricklander held his ground.

"How soon will the bridge be complete?" Bular growled.

"Within the month," he answered, stepping around the Gumm-Gumm. "Already, the final pieces are enroute from across the globe. We should expect the Eyestone by next week."

Bular became uncharacteristically silent. Though, judging from the faraway look in his eyes, he was more than likely fantasizing about return of his father. Stricklander grimaced.

"In the meantime, however, we should move the bridge," he said.

As he predicted, Bular snapped his head to him and narrowed his eyes. "What? Why?"

"No reason," he lied. "Just to ensure that the bridge remains concealed."

Bular gave him a suspicious look, but gave no further argument. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Nomura.

A snicker escaped her and he glanced over his shoulder to shoot her a glare.

"It's a little late for that," she jested.

If they were alone, he would've rolled his eyes and waved off her teasing. However, Bular stood not a few yards away, and so he stiffened with fright.

"What?" Bular rumbled, turning back around from staring at the bridge. "What did you say, impure?"

He barely caught the look of fear in Nomura's eyes before Bular's clawed hand wrapped around his neck.

"What does she speak of, Stricklander?" he growled.

"N-Nothing, Bular," he choked out as he kicked and slapped at the Gumm-Gumm's wrist. "There was merely a small breach of security this morning."

His lungs were burning and his vision was darkening. Before he could pass out, however, Bular dropped him. He hit the ground with a thud and gasped for air.

The sound of metal ringing filled his ears and he looked up to see Bular wielding an unsheathed short-sword.

"We were discovered?" he asked, bringing the blade to his arm to sharpen it.

"By a human," he answered, rubbing his throat. "Not a troll…."

He furrowed his brow and thought back on all that had happened in the past few days. From Claire Nuñez's sudden presence in his office, to his missing pen, and now her sudden want to break into an exhibit.

"You sound unsure."

He met Bular's condescending look with one of thought. "You said the Trollhunter was a human girl, correct?"

Bular paused, his short-sword stopped midway down his arm. He turned his burning, orange eyes towards him, surprise and anticipation glowing in them.

Before the Gumm-Gumm could answer, however, he turned to Nomura. "Nomura, you've brought the Fetch, correct?"

She nodded, still a little pale.

He smiled and turned back to Bular. "I believe it's time we dealt with our little Trollhunter."

* * *

Usually, the Nuñez household was a quiet, orderly residence. Her mom would be in her office, writing emails or working towards the next city council election. Her dad would be making dinner or watching the TV. And Claire? She'd either be finishing her homework, listening to some music, or playing with Enrique.

Tonight, however, her home was anything but that.

Downstairs, in the living room, her parents were shouting and screaming. Even with a floor between them, she could hear them venting their frustrations.

"She's become a delinquent!" her mom shouted. "I can't believe her!"

"It's that boy!" her dad cursed. "Voy a matarlo!"

She hugged her knees closer to her chest and hiccupped. Tears streaked her face and she wiped as much of them away, yet their trails still stained her cheeks.

Claire had spent the last hour like that, trying and failing to keep herself from falling apart.

She sat in the dark, finding a minuscule mote of comfort from being hidden. She also tried to find some in her own embrace, knowing that her parents wouldn't give her any.

The moment they'd gotten home, they'd started reprimanding her. Their tones were harsh and their eyes were enraged. She had withered and shrunk and cowered beneath them, but they hadn't let up in their scolding; or their punishment.

She couldn't stay up past 12:00 AM anymore. She had to have her phone off by 10:00 PM. She was supposed to be at school by 7:00 AM, which meant no more morning walks—which wasn't so bad. However, they also wanted her home immediately after school, which meant no more after school walks with Darci and Mary.

Then, there was the terrible topping on top of her cake of consequences: she couldn't participate in the play.

That was the one point when she'd actually spoken up, but that had just made her mom raise her voice higher. So, she'd stayed silent and endured it. Then, she retreated to her room and proceeded to let her anxiety eat her from the inside out.

She sniffled and buried her face in her arms. "What did I do?"

She'd spoken that question—out loud and in her head—since she'd left the museum. It'd bounced around in her head as her parents drove her home. It'd stayed just beneath her panicked thoughts as her parents scolded and chided her with more fury than she'd ever known. It still haunted her, like a specter looking over her shoulder and whispering into her ear.

Claire buried her face deeper, hoping to hide her shame. It didn't help much.

Suddenly, a string of unintelligible babbling—at least, to her—sounded from beside her. Sniffing and wiping her nose, she looked over at her gnome roommate—who'd taken up living in an old dollhouse in the back of her closet.

He babbled some more and waved his arms frantically before reaching behind him to offer her a bag of chips. She stared at it, then at him. He wore a sympathetic face the whole time and she managed to crack a tiny smile.

"Thanks."

A minute passed by in silence, with her holding the bag and the gnome watching her. She'd pulled out her phone, checking it for the first time since it'd been handed back to her by a police officer.

There were over a hundred texts from Darci, Mary, and a few others. Most of the calls were from her best friends, but she saw a few from her parents before they had picked her up and a couple others from her classmates. There wasn't a single message or call from Jim, though.

With a heavy sigh, she shot off a group text to her friends, telling them she'd explain everything at school tomorrow.

* * *

Tuesday morning was quite possibly the worst morning she'd ever had.

First, and foremost, she'd woken up with a stuffy nose and a tear-streaked face. Added onto that, her parents refused to talk to her except in a very curt, blunt tone like they were her bosses. Then, she had, had to walk through school with everyone staring at her.

She really didn't understand that last one until Darci and Mary pulled her aside at lunch.

"You broke into an exhibit!"

"C-Bomb, that's so metal!"

"Mary!"

"What? I never thought that goody-two-shoes Claire would ever break the law."

She glared at Mary and her friend withered under her scathing gaze. "How do you guys even know?"

"It was in the newspaper," Darci answered. "My dad read it this morning and spat his coffee all over the table; and in my cereal."

Claire felt the blood drain from her face.

It was public? Everyone knew about it?

"Someone kill me right now," she groaned, hiding her face in her hands. "Please."

"Come on, Claire-Bear. It isn't that bad."

She looked Darci straight in the eye. "I broke the law, it's in the newspaper, and my parents forbid me from doing the play."

Both her friends pursed their lips.

"Wow," Mary remarked, "that is bad."

Darci slapped her arm. Mary shrieked. Claire sighed and walked over to the nearest bench.

Sitting down, she pulled out her phone. "I didn't mean to break the law, though."

"Then why did you?" Darci asked, crossing her arms.

She looked at them and took a deep breath, then glanced to her right and left.

They stood in the locker area outside. It'd been vacant for the past couple minutes, with all their other classmates heading off to the cafeteria or the library.

"Look," she said, "I don't know what that exhibit was. I think it was a bridge or something, but it was covered in these troll markings."

She would've laughed at the double take they did, but considering the seriousness of her own words, she kept a straight face.

"Troll markings?" Darci repeated. "Like, Trollhunter troll? That kind of troll stuff?"

She nodded and they shared a look.

"Did you get any pics?" Mary asked.

"A couple," she answered, pulling out her phone. "The police tried deleting them, but I've got them on my cloud storage."

She pulled up the pictures, showing them the weird, trollish bridge. Swiping through her gallery, she watched their reactions as they took in the sides and angles she'd captured.

"That's definitely troll-related," Darci said. "We gotta show Blinky."

She sighed. "I wish I could, but my parents are watching me; twenty four-seven. I can't sit in my room without one of them checking on me every ten minutes."

Mary winced. "Geez. You make it sound like you're in prison."

"I basically am," she said, throwing her arms up. "I have to go to bed before twelve. I have to turn my phone off by ten. My dad drives me to school and picks me up after, so there's no hanging out with you guys. Then, I can't even go to rehearsal, so I've got to drop out of the play." She slumped her shoulders and bowed her head. "What did I do?"

She held her head as the anxiety in her balled up into a weight that settled in the pit of her stomach. It was getting harder to think and harder to breathe.

"Whoa, hey, Claire-Bear," Mary called, putting hands on her arm and shoulder. "It's alright. Calm down."

"How is any of this alright, Mary?" she snapped, glaring at her friend. "My life is falling apart-"

She stopped, noticing a figure in the background. Darci and Mary noticed too, both of them looking over at a blue jacket-clad figure and his round friend getting something out of the former's locker.

They all watched Jim pull something out—maybe a textbook or a sack lunch—but he didn't look over until he was walking away. When he did, their eyes met and he snapped his head away before practically sprinting out of the locker area.

The angry flush she'd worn drained away and she bowed her head again. "And I also dragged Jim into my catastrophe of a life."

"Ah, come on, C-Bomb," Mary said, nudging her gently. "He's already your Romeo. There's no way he won't come back around-"

"His mom yelled at me to stay away from him."

Her friends stared at her again. Mary tried opening her mouth and raising a finger, but then closed her mouth and dropped her finger. Meanwhile, Darci kept on staring, sympathy scrawled all over her face. "Well, at least you guys are getting into character."

It was a joke. Just a way to lighten the heavy mood that'd settled over all of them. It kinda worked too, because she cracked a small smile and snorted, but then she remembered the terms of her grounding—which included not speaking to Jim and not playing Juliet in the play.

"Uh, sorry," Darci apologized. "But, anyways, how are you going to tell Blinky about that weird thing you found?'

She shrugged. "I don't know. My dad's going to be home all day, so I can't go to Trollmarket without him noticing I'm gone."

In front of her, Mary crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Just tell him you need to work on a project at my house."

"I can't go to friends' houses," she said flatly.

"Then, we'll come over."

"I can't have friends over."

"Even for a project?"

"A project that I coincidentally got right after I got grounded?"

"Uh... you need to get some fresh air?"

She glowered at her and Mary shrugged.

"There's gotta be some excuse you can use," Darci said, scratching her head. "When does your mom get home?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, probably around nine-ish; ten at the latest."

Darci rubbed her chin. "So, how about you tell your dad that you've got 'girl problems' and you need to stay in the bathroom until your mom comes home."

"That… might actually work," she said, growing her first smile of the day. "Thanks, Darci."

Darci nudged her playfully. "No problem, Claire-Bear."

She got ready to stand up, but stopped short when Mary asked, "But what if your dad tries to help you out? I know my dad gets pretty nosy about me when he thinks I'm in trouble."

Their friend had a point. There was a strong possibility that her dad would try and help her out. If she wasn't in the bathroom when he came knocking, then he'd know that she'd snuck out again… unless….

Getting up and adjusting her backpack, she smiled again. "I think I've got it covered."

* * *

Javier liked to think he was a great padre; ¡el mejor padre en el mundo!

When his family needed him, he was there. If su amor needed someone to practice a speech on, he would sit down and listen. If Enrique needed his diaper changed, then he would endure the horror and change him. If Claire needed help speaking Spanish, he'd teach her the words she didn't know.

However, there was one thing he could not help his family with.

"Mija, are you okay in there?" Javier knocked on the bathroom door. "It's been an hour, are you sure you don't want me to call your mamá?"

There was shuffling inside. He heard the faucet turn on and Claire wash something. Then, a string of incoherent babbling sounded from the other side of the door and he stepped back.

"Uh… ¿Qué dijiste, mija?"

He heard what sounded like tiny feet padding on the tiled ground, then more babbling. The faucet turned off on the other side, then the toilet lid hit the back of the toilet.

"Uh, okay," he said cautiously. "I'll… I'll be downstairs, alright?"

There was more babbling and then the crinkling of a wrapper.

Javier hastily made his way back downstairs.

* * *

In all the time that she had known Blinky, she'd never seen him so… afraid? Taken back? Quiet was probably the better term. He was usually full of so much gusto and exuberance, but the moment she'd shown him the pictures of that bridge in the Museum of Arcadia, he'd went silent.

"Master Claire, where did you find this?"

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow and adopting a quizzical face. "At the Museum of Arcadia."

"And where is that?" he asked, voice trembling.

"In the middle of town?"

All six of his eyes widened and he twirled around, muttering words in trollish. She glanced over at Darci and Mary, both of whom shrugged as they sat beside her at the large desk table in Blinky's library.

"Blinky, what's wrong?" she called.

"Master Claire, you've read through the first and second chapter of A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore, correct?"

She eyed him tentatively, but nodded. "Yeah. Those were over your prehistory, right?"

"Indeed," he said, steepling his fingers before pointing them at her. "But do you remember the passages about bridges."

She opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped short. No words came out of her mouth as the memories tumbled into her head. Drawings of magic bridges—portals between worlds—flashed in her eyes and she looked back at her phone to make sure that the images matched up.

"It's a bridge," she said, raising her eyes to meet Blinky's.

"But not just any bridge," he said ominously. "That is Killahead Bridge."

They stared at him.

"Killa- What?" Mary tried repeating.

"Killahead," Claire said, looking up at Blinky. "As in _the Killahead_? The bridge that leads to the Darklands where Gunmar's trapped?"

He nodded. "The very same."

Silence followed his confirmation. None of them could find the words to describe the sudden dread that settled in the room. The most they could even do was glance at each other worriedly.

"So… what do we do?" Darci asked. "I mean, if that thing is inside the museum."

"Then we must destroy it!"

Her eyes shot open with alarm.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" she cried, jumping to her feet. "We can't- That's not- I already got in trouble for breaking into that exhibit!"

She held her head and fell back into her seat. Her insecurities were crashing back down on her… Scratch that, her insecurities were hunkering down on her back while even more of them were crashing on top of them, burying her under all the stress and anxiety and-

"Master Claire, are you alright?"

She blinked and refocused her attention on her mentor.

"Um, yeah," she said, rubbing her arm. "I'm just dealing with a lot of stuff, right now."

Blinky hummed and put his arms behind his back. "I see. Though, I'd advise you to keep your head clear. These unforeseen circumstances will require you to place your focus upon the task alone, less your distracted mind lead to death. Especially when you face Draal."

The world came to a screeching halt the moment she processed what he'd said.

"Death?" she asked, paling. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Death? I thought this was just a rematch!"

Blinky looked at her quizzically. "I thought you had read chapter three of A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore."

"I did!" she shrieked. "It said that, and I quote, to challenge a troll to a rematch is to see only one as the victor."

"Exactly."

"I thought it was a metaphor!"

Her world was falling apart. Everything she'd ever treasured and loved was being torn from her. From her part in the play, to her relationship with her parents, to her very life! Even her fledgling friendship with Jim had been severed before it had gotten stronger.

Suddenly, hands found her shoulders and massaged them.

"Calm down, Claire-Bear," Mary said. "You got this. You've been training almost every day."

"And Draal's trained every day of his life," she mulled. "He thrashed me last time. What am I going to do this time?"

"You will beat him," Blinky declared, slamming a fist into his palm. "Draal is a renowned warrior, yes, but his hubris will lead to his downfall."

She looked to him, finding him shining with courage and faith. Then, she looked at her friends, both of them offering her encouraging smiles. Deep inside of her, she felt her heart calm and her stomach settle. The anxiety drained away slowly, and steadily, she felt her spirits rise.

"But, just to be safe, we should take your limited time and refine your swordsmanship."

They all shot him a glare and he nervously shrugged. Fortunately for him, though, Aaarrrgghh showed up with a large sack slung over his shoulder. He took one look around at them and dropped his sack on the table—which strangely sounded like it was full of VHS tapes.

He sighed. "What Blinky do?"

"Nothing," Claire said, standing up. "We were just heading to the Forge. You wanna come, big guy?"

Aaarrrgghh grew that face-splitting smile of his and nodded.

* * *

It was around nine when they finished up her training and headed out. They'd spent about three hours running her through some routines to improve her sword technique and aim when throwing her weapon. Just before they set off back to the surface, though, Blinky had given her a rousing speech about her potential and rapid improvement. That'd brought a smile to her face and a tear to her eye.

Returning to her house had been a bit of a trial. To avoid her dad, she climbed up to the second floor and crawled in through her bedroom window. Then, she'd given the gnome the signal to let her into the bathroom. Half-an-hour later, her mom knocked on the door and asked her if she was alright. Seeing as her mom didn't know when she had her 'times of the months', she'd managed to convince her that it was happening and she was alright. Unfortunately, dinner had been pretty awkward with her dad fretting over what to feed her.

Throughout all of that, she had kept alert, making sure not to slip up and get in more trouble. She only gave herself the all clear after she'd climbed into bed for the night. Then, when she did, she let the weight of everything fall on her.

In two days, she was going to fight Draal again and if she lost, then that was it; that was the end of Claire Nuñez forever. If she did win, then she'd have to deal with Killahead Bridge and changelings living in Arcadia.

Alongside her Trollhunter duties, she'd have to earn her parents' trust back. She had less of a month to do it too, seeing as the play was going to be performed in a couple weeks. Furthermore, she needed to reconcile with Jim….

Claire groaned and let herself fall into slumber.

Tuesday came and went. Throughout all her classes, she had agonized over her imminent demise. She hadn't been able to pay attention to a single lesson from any of her teachers, and all the notes that she'd tried jotting down went unfinished or turned into battle plans for her rematch.

Thankfully, the end of the day came fast. However, she didn't make her way outside to her dad's car. Instead, she trudged over to the gym.

Seeing as she wasn't going to be at rehearsal for a while, she might as well tell Ms. Janeth to find an understudy for her.

"Hey, Claire." An arm laid itself over her shoulders and she narrowed her eyes. Steve didn't seem to notice her obvious displeasure, though. "Heard about that whole thing with the museum. Can't believe Buttsnack got you in trouble."

"Butt- What?" she asked. "Are you talking about Jim?"

"Yeah, him," he said, wearing a smug smirk.

Anger boiled over inside of her and she scowled at the bully. "His name is Jim, Steve, and I got him in trouble."

Steve looked at her for a moment. He was probably processing that she, Claire Nuñez—the honor roll goody-two-shoes—was the one who had broken into the exhibit during the class trip.

"Oh," he finally said. "Well, I do like a bad girl."

She swore her face got a lot redder; but definitely not out of embarrassment. She was about two seconds away from kneeing him in the gronk-nuks again. However, all that rage and fury and disgust fell away the moment she heard her name being called. "Claire!"

Turning around, she watched Jim jog over, one hand holding the strap of his satchel and the other holding the play script.

"Claire," he said. "Hi, uh, I needed to ask you something about our lines-"

"Back off, Buttsnack," Steve snapped, suddenly stepping in front of her.

She glared at the back of his polo before leaning over to look around him. Jim stood tall defiantly, standing his ground against Steve.

"Sorry, Steve," he growled. "I kinda need Claire's help."

Steve scoffed. "Well, she doesn't want to help a pathetic little loser like yo-"

"Well, she has a voice of her own," she snapped at him, striding around to stand by Jim. "Come on, Jim. Let's go over by the bleachers."

They walked away from a baffled Steve, shoulder-to-shoulder. She stole a glance back him, watching his face contort from surprise to anger. She would've laughed if she didn't look over at Jim and found him looking at her.

They turned away from each other, faces red—well, she thought he looked red.

Soon enough, they stood in the shadow of the gym's bleachers. The other participants of the play were scattered around, but their little area only hosted them. She was thankful for that, seeing as they had a lot to talk about.

"So…." Jim trailed off.

"So… you needed to talk to me about something?" she asked, brushing some hair behind her ear.

"I… Yeah. Well, er- I mean…." he trailed off again and then coughed into his fist. "I kind of… Look, I know my mom got really mad at the museum."

She nodded and rubbed her arm. "Well, I can understand why."

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to say sorry for that and, well, sorry for just… all of that."

He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. She watched him shift nervously on his feet and clench the script in his hand tightly.

"Jim," she said, drawing his eyes up to her, "I should be the one saying sorry. I got you into all of that. I… used your feelings."

The mention of his crush on her turned his cheeks red and Jim looked back down.

"It's alright."

"No, it's not!" She put a hand on his shoulder and he brought his gaze up to meet hers. "You're such a wonderful person and I just… I used you… I'm sorry."

Jim stared at her for the longest time, his eyes wide with awe and his cheeks red with embarrassment. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Ms. Janeth suddenly appeared beside them.

"Oh, look at you two!" she cried out, clapping her hands. "This is wonderful! I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect pair playing Romeo and Juliet."

She and Jim shared a brief look before they turned away, blushing furiously.

Ms. Janeth checked the time then, glancing at her watch. "Alright, places everyone! Places!"

"Ah, Miss Janeth," she called and her Drama teacher looked to her. "I need to tell you something."

She fixed her glasses. "Ah, of course, Claire. What is it?"

Claire swallowed and fidgeted anxiously. Then, taking a deep breath, she said, "I… won't be able to come to rehearsal for a while."

"Wh-Why is that?"

"I'm having an issue at home and my parents are forbidding me from performing, so… I may or may not be able to play the role for the final performance."

She'd never seen Ms. Janeth as appalled as she was.

"Can you not convince them?" she asked.

She shook her head. "No, unfortunately. I'm really sorry, ma'am."

Ms. Janeth pursed her lips and brought her clipboard up. She scanned it briefly before turning to the crowd of students gathered around the stage. "Er- What are we going to do? ...Uh, did you have an understudy, Claire?"

"No, I don't believe I did."

"Oh, this is a disaster!" she cried and sped away, leaving her and Jim standing there.

She risked a glance over at her former co-lead and found him eyeing her wistfully. Turning to him fully, she regarded him with a downcast face.

"So, your parents pulled you out?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah… And I might not be at school for a while either."

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It… doesn't have to do with my parents, exactly."

The ghost of a smile appeared on her face and she brought a hand up to cup his cheek. Jim froze at her touch and flushed a shade of red she'd never seen before. A giggle escaped her lips, but it didn't stop her from standing up on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"You're a great guy, Jim," she said, stepping away. "I… I would've liked to go on a date sometime."

She left before he could say anything, the butterflies in her stomach and the excruciating pain in her chest compelling to go before she did something that'd make her stay.

* * *

"Mom? Papá? Can I ask you something?"

She looked at her parents, both of them sitting on the other side of the dinner table. Beside her, Enrique giggled as he shook his bottle of formula and watched it slosh around inside.

Her dad had made mashed potatoes and steak for them tonight. Instead of scarfing it down like usual, however, she'd barely eaten a spoonful of the mashed potatoes and only poked her steak once.

"¿Sí, mija?" her dad answered. "What is it?"

"I… uh…." She took a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize… for my behavior over the past week."

Her parents shared a look.

"That's good to hear," her mom- No, Councilwoman Nuñez said. "It was unacceptable of you to sneak around our backs and then break into that exhibit like some hooligan."

She winced at her tone, but didn't snap back. She kept her cool and found her words before she opened her mouth again. "I know, mom, and I'm sorry… I hope you can forgive me."

Her parents shared another look, then they started whispering. She couldn't pick up their hushed words. The only things she could discern were: 'too young', 'genuine', and 'learned her lesson'.

A moment later, her parents leaned away from each other and her dad spoke up, "Claire, we're thankful that you're apologizing, but what you need to do is be better. Okay, mija?"

She nodded, a sad smile forming on her lips. "Sí, papá." She looked down at her plate of cold food, then quietly asked, "May I be excused to my room?"

* * *

The next morning couldn't come fast enough. Her night before Wednesday was filled with tossing and turning in her bed. In the end, she fell asleep around two in the morning. When she awoke the next day, her parents had been more forgiving of her sluggishness.

As she left, she gave them hugs and kisses, both crushing and heartbreaking. Neither of them had any idea that those might be the last embraces she'd ever given them. She let her tears fall when her dad wasn't looking as he drove her to school.

As soon as he'd dropped her off, Darci and Mary were beside her. They wished her dad farewell and watched him drive off until he disappeared around the corner. The moment he did, they made their way inside and towards the sewer entrance Blinky and Aaarrrgghh had used to get inside the school before.

Both trolls were waiting for them when they dropped down into the tunnels and they led them to the canal. Once they were back outside, Claire took in her last breath of fresh air before descending down into Trollmarket.

The entire trip down was quiet, and the trip across Trollmarket was the same. The latter fact disturbed her. Usually the settlement was buzzing with activity. Trolls were either calling out their wares or yelling things at each other. Today, though, the only sounds were distant, coming from the Hero's Forge.

To her surprise, they didn't just walk straight inside. Instead, they took a route around Trollmarket that lead them to the back entrance. From there, she could hear Vendel over the roar of a thousand trolls, "Gathered trollkind! The Trollhunter has laid a challenge before the son of her predecessor, and you shall all bear witness to the ensuing battle, which will be one for the ages!"

She breathed in and let out a heavy sigh. Her anxiety was building up again, but she willed it down. She couldn't get cold feet now or she'd be a cold body in a couple minutes.

They stopped short of the gate barring entry into the Forge. Peering between the oversized bars, she took in the sight of the roaring masses and swallowed the lump in her throat.

A hand on her shoulder prompted her to turn and face her friends.

"You got this, C-Bomb," Mary said, holding up her fists. "You're gonna beat Draal so bad he'll think twice about smack-talking you ever again."

Beside her, Darci smiled and nodded. "Mary's right. You're going to win this. No doubt."

She looked between them and smiled, then laughed. "Thanks, guys… but-"

"No!" Mary snapped and put her hands on her shoulders, giving her a shake. "No 'buts'! Got it? You are going to win!"

She gave her a long look before nodding with a grim smile.

"Draal the Destroyer!"

Everyone turned at Vendel's call and watched as a blue blur came rolling out of the Forge's main entrance. It sped across the land bridge over the chasm and bounced into the air, then came down with a crash. When the dust cleared, Draal stood tall and threw his arms into the air, appraising the crowd whose cheers arose in volume.

Claire narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

"Master Claire."

She looked to Blinky who held his hands. "Now is the time to put everything I've taught you to the test."

She nodded.

"Alright, with luck, he'll trip and fall."

She glanced at Draal. "Uh, I don't think that'll happen."

"Indeed, so, let's be quick about this. Rule number one?"

"Always be afraid."

Blinky smiled and nodded. "Rule number two?"

"Always finish the fight."

"Rule number three?"

"When in doubt, always go for the gronk-nuks."

"Exactly," he said, swinging an arm and grinning. "Now, go out there when Vendel calls and show trollkind what a human can do."

With a bit of a fire lit in her heart, she turned back to watch Draal stir the crowd with his physique. He flexed and beat his chest, drawing out their zeal and exuberance.

"Man," Darci said, "sometimes I wonder if he can even walk around with a head as big as his."

Claire blinked. "Uh, can you say that again, Darci?"

Her friend gave her a confused look. "Uh… sometimes I wonder if he can walk around with a head as big as his?"

She looked over to Blinky who gave her the same, astonished look. Then, they looked to Draal still showing off. They watched him turn and twist, but never glance over his shoulder.

"That's it," her mentor breathed. "That's it!"

Mary raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"He's got a big head," she reiterated for her friends. "He can move with it, but I don't think he can actually move it. Meaning-"

"Blind spot," Aaarrrgghh finished, his voice filled with awe at their discovery.

"Exactly!" Blinky cried, raising a finger. "Master Claire, this is your secret weapon. Your advantage. You must use it to triumph!"

She nodded and took a step towards the

"And now, Draal's combatant, Claire Noon-Yez, daughter of… Oh-Feel-Eeyuh and Ha-Vee-Air Noon-Yez."

With her Amulet held tight and her head held high, she strode into the arena. The crowd's roar lowered into boos. She endured their glares and jeers, keeping her attention focused solely on Draal. He reciprocated her gaze, though his narrowed eyes held no determination, only pride and arrogance.

"Prepare for battle!"

She raised up her Amulet above her head. "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command."

A corona of blue magic erupted around her. In the smoky wisps, the pieces of her armor materialized and assembled before pressing upon her body. Within the blink of an eye, she was suited up. Then, bringing her hands up, she summoned her sword.

On the opposite side of the arena, Draal smirked and pounded his fists together.

"Begin!"

* * *

 **I'm sorry, I couldn't resist a cliffhanger.**

 **Uh, so, yeah. Next time, we get to see Claire take on Draal.**

 **I'm definitely putting my own little twist to it. Not to big, but not exactly canon-style.**

 **As you can see, Claire—who already ready the book way back when—figured out Draal's blindspot right off the bat while Jim had to find at the last second it in the show.**

 **On the topic of why this chapter was so late, well, it's mostly because classes just started and I had a mountain of reading assignments dumped on me. On top of that, work's been draining me and trying to plan out the chapter was actually kinda hard.**

 **I don't really want too many scene breaks and changes or to long of chapters, but the more I write, I'm looking at a lot of those to fit in and keep the story pretty compact.**

 **Additionally, I rewrote the opening a bunch of times. I couldn't get Strickler's entrance quite right until, literally, an hour before I'm uploading this chapter. Then, there was how I was going to have Claire post-Chapter 11. I didn't want a repeat of her parents' punishment from Chapter 10, so I finally decided on an aftermath sorta scene with her and Gnome Chompsky (Still just gnome roommate because I've got a scene to give him a name later)**

 **Also, if there's typos or grammar issues, I'm sorry. I don't got a beta reader—I should get one—and I usually just throw this on the site when I'm finished because I'm scared you guys have waited too long. Point any issues out in the comments if you'd like.**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter.**

 **Like I said at the start, I've got the next one planned out pretty well so it should be coming out a lot sooner than this one. I'd give it a week.**

 **Favorite and/or Follow to keep updated, and leave a Review if you'd like to give me any ideas, some positive comments, or some constructive criticism.**

 **Ardently,**

 **Apex Primus**


	13. Worthy

**Okay, so, this came out later than I had hoped it would.**

 **I was going to release this chapter last Wednesday, but I took some time to revise the fight scenes.**

 **I forgot, however, that I had two full days of work, then a full day of homework that was due today, so... yeah.**

 **Anyways, I got the chapter finished, revised, and ready for you all.**

 **If you see any spelling errors, please inform me so I can iron out those wrinkles.**

 **I do not own Trollhunters.**

* * *

"Begin!"

Without warning, the ground beneath her shook. A sudden sense of vertigo overtook her and she found out why when she noticed the arena walls suddenly getting shorter.

The floor of the Hero's Forge had lifted up. She could hear gears grinding and ticking, working in some mechanism to raise them high. She turned back to Draal before it stopped, and held her ground when the ground shook again, signalling the end of the ride.

Not a moment after, though, the battlefield changed again. On her left and right, sections of the floor dropped. She briefly got a glimpse of them stopping at intervals, making a kind of staircase. Though, not the kind she could use.

Across from her, Draal smirked smugly and pounded a fist into his hand. She held Daylight close enough that she could probably see her reflection in it. Though, she didn't spare it a glance. Her focus was set on her opponent as he slammed his fists into the ground and roared, pounding his chest for the crowd.

They ate it up, roaring and cheering for him. She let the humming of her magic-imbued blade fill her ears, drowning out the crowd. It calmed her and kept her steady as she moved to her left, circling with her opponent.

"Come on, Trollhunter," Draal taunted. "Come over here and lay one hit in. I'll let you."

He opened his arms, puffed out his chest, and raised his chin. She leveled a glare at him and held fast, gripping Daylight tightly and locking her stance.

Draal dropped his arms and gave her a bored look before smirking. "Alright, then. Right down to business."

He beat his chest one last time before roaring and jumped at her. She let out a short cry as she dived out of the way, heading left and around him. The platform quaked and she had to steady herself before she could wield Daylight again.

"Gotta get behind- Oof!"

Before she could finish muttering to herself, Draal swung his arm and sent her flying down to one of the lowered sections of the platform.

She grunted on impact and groaned as she got up, but then yelped at the sight of Draal leaping into the air again. He came down like a basketball Steve dunked, but she rolled out of the way in time.

As she got up, though, he grabbed her leg. There was a brief moment for her to register that fact before he swung her around. She screamed the whole time until he let go of her.

She slammed into the wall and felt like a pancake pressed flat against it; and just like a pancake on a wall she peeled off.

Thankfully, she hit the ground feet-first, but her lack of balance sent her stumbling forward, almost sending her falling into the machinery that had raised the platform.

"Claire!"

She glanced over to the back entrance and saw her friends peeking out. Blinky was shaking his fists expectantly, Aaarrrgghh was watching anxiously, and both her friends were cupping their mouths and cheering for her.

"Come on, C-Bomb!" Darci shouted.

"You got this!" Mary shouted after, throwing her a thumbs-up.

Claire pursed her lips and chose not to shoot a witty retort back. Turning away from her friends, she looked up to Draal who held his arms out wide, egging the crowd to cheer louder.

He turned to her after a moment, a sadistic grin on his face. She swallowed and held Daylight up, ready to fight.

Leaping off the platform, he hit the wall and came down rolling. The world around her slowed down and she narrowed her eyes.

"Not this time!" she shouted, pulling her arm back before throwing it forward.

She let go of Daylight and let it sail through the air. It was a blur of gleaming silver and shining blue that struck Draal off the wall with an explosion of smoky, azure wisps.

The crowd went silent. And then they cheered.

At first, she watched the stands high above her with wide, shocked eyes. Why would they cheer for her?

After a moment of processing, though, a grin spread across her face.

Why did it matter? The crowd was on her side, not Draal's. Speaking of which….

Her opponent had also scanned the crowd, but he'd done so with a dumbfounded gape. When he brought his eyes back to her, he scowled and glared.

Still grinning, she held Daylight close and readied herself for his next attack.

Draal, in turn, roared and charged at her like a bull. She faltered for a second, suddenly remembering the last time he'd headbutt her. Then, after making a hasty calculation on whether or not she'd be able to withstand a second headbutt, she decided to run.

A cry escaped her as she sprinted around the arena's 'circuit', desperately trying to escape the rampaging Draal. She passed her friends once, catching a few remarks about her combat style from Blinky and encouraging cheers from her friends.

Somewhere during their chase, Draal had tucked in and turned into a ball again. She thought about turning and throwing her sword, hopefully hitting him before he hit her. However, she doubted she'd have the time to do it… unless….

As maneuvered to her right, getting closer to the wall. Glancing behind her, she glimpsed Draal following her movement. She hid her smirk and jumped to her left, dodging him and letting him speed past.

Without wasting a second, she swung her arm and threw Daylight once more. It flew true and struck Draal off the ground, sending him flying for a good meter before he came crashing down.

Around and above them, the crowd roared louder.

Draal, in turn, leveled wide, enraged eyes at her and snarled. She swallowed the lump in her throat and readied herself again.

Like last time, he charged at her and tucked in to roll. However, instead of speeding towards her with the intent of running her over, he swerved around her.

She spun around, confused, until she watched him do a U-turn and come right back towards her. Alarm bells went off in her head, prompting her brain to go into overdrive.

A thousand thoughts shot through her mind before she settled on 'third time's the charm'.

Pulling back her arm, she got ready to throw her sword again. However, before she did, Draal uncurled and leaped into the air.

The world slowed down around them, and she watched with wide, terrified eyes as he came down with a fist drawn back.

There was a brief moment where she glimpsed a glossy, blue screen enveloping her. Then, there was blinding light.

It took her a moment to realize that her Amulet had erected a shield around her, and that Draal had just hit it.

Before she knew it, her back was hitting the ground. Stone cracked and fractured underneath her. She felt it more than she heard it.

Rubble rained down around her as Draal raised his fists again. Instinctively, she pulled her arms over her face. However, her shield caught his hit once more.

It didn't stop him from grabbing her leg afterwards, though.

Another scream tore out of her throat as he swung her around and into the air. The crowd roared around her, but she wasn't grinning anymore.

Air rushed around her as she fell back down, and it left her lungs when her stomach met Draal's punch.

The force of that hit sent her flying back up, but this time she landed on the raised, central platform.

She didn't get up immediately. She spent a bit of time holding her churning stomach, trying to stop herself from throwing up. Unfortunately, she didn't even have time to recover from that.

A shadow cast itself over her and she looked up as Draal fell from the sky.

She curled up and her shield flared to life. Draal crashed on top of her, making her shield flash bright bluish-white. He made it flash again when he brought a fist down. And he did it again. And again. And again.

He wailed on her mercilessly, repeatedly beating on her shield like a drum. All the while, she cowered in her armor, praying that a miracle would happen.

None did. Seconds ticked by, but it felt like minutes; hours even. The crowd around them cheered and called out, chanting trollish words she could barely comprehend. Somewhere in the distant background, Mary and Darci were screaming, and Blinky was yelling at her to fight back.

How could she?

Her shield cracked. She watched Draal smirk with fearful eyes.

She was going to die here.

Draal brought another fist down. The shield fractured, more cracks spreading across the glossy surface.

Her parents would never know what happened. She'd never hear Enrique's giggling again. Her friends would watch her die. She'd never get to achieve her dreams. She'd never get to know Jim.

Draal brought both his fists down. The shield shattered and she yelped, feeling the feedback of the magic surging through her body, like electricity jolting through her veins.

The crowd was so loud now that she could only hear ringing in her ears. However, Draal's sadistic voice pierced that veil. "You should have stayed down, worm."

He raised his fists to squish her head. She grit her teeth and tried getting up.

Her fear became adrenaline. Adrenaline fed her body with strength. The strength gave birth to spite. And that spite gave her a drive.

Claire closed her eyes shut and fought back against the fear, the anxiety, and the despair that threatened to drag her down.

The Amulet responded in kind.

She was barely aware of the world taking on a blue tint or the sounds of ticking and whirring coming from her chestplate.

She was, however, aware of the sudden look of shock in Draal's eyes and the sudden rush of power that flooded her very being.

With a furious cry, Claire threw a bright, shining blue fist and it connected with Draal's center, just beneath his ribcage. The world slowed for a brief second, just enough for her to watch blue wisps and flaring light erupt from the punch.

When the smoke cleared, Draal was lying across the platform. He looked at her with shock still, but it was mixed with awe.

Claire raised her hands to her face and stared at them. The markings of her armor blazed with azure light, the magic of her Amulet burning bright in every groove and every hollow.

It took her only a moment to realize her Amulet had empowered her.

Summoning Daylight, she glanced briefly at her reflection and found her eyes shining with light. Then, moving her gaze over to Draal, she narrowed them.

And then the ground under her fell.

She yelped and slid off the section of the platform that had twisted. She hit something on her way down, maybe the side of the arena circuit or a gear. Whatever it was, she bounced off it and landed in the pit under the raised platform.

"Well," she groaned, "that was anticlimactic."

Looking around, she took in her surroundings. The pit she was in was filled with turning gears and pumping pistons. Steam hissed from a few pipes, making the air warm and humid.

A roar above her caught her attention then, and she grimaced. "Gotta kee- Ahh!"

Her left side was on fire. Not literally, but she felt a searing pain from there. Whether it was something broken, fractured, or worse, she couldn't tell. She hoped it was none of those.

There was another roar above and she forced herself to endure the agony. Grunting every time her side pulsated with pain.

Stumbling forward, she caught herself on a pipe. Not a second later, she felt it heating up and pulled her hand away as a steam burst from a hole above.

The ground quaked under her and she glanced over her shoulder as a blur of blue entered the pit.

"Come out, Trollhunter!" Draal called.

She grit her teeth and stumbled further into the machinery.

"There has to be a way I can beat him," she mumbled, peeking from behind a gear. "I can't get to his blindspot fast enough, but even if I did… what would I do?"

She looked around, searching for an answer in her environment. She found it next to her.

The pillar holding up the central platform had four racks running down its sides, each one lined with teeth. At its base, where she stood, four gears held it up. Each of those gears were then held in place by hooks, grabbing their teeth to stop them from turning and dropping the platform.

If she could cut those locks and bring the platform down….

"Okay," she breathed. "This is crazy… but what isn't anymore?"

She hid herself as best she could and summoned Daylight. She winced at the bright light it emitted and waited a second to see if Draal would come stomping over.

Thankfully, he didn't. So with him still searching for her on the other side of the pit, she raised Daylight, its blade burning blue, and slashed at the closest gear.

She cleaved off the hook holding it in place. It clattered on the ground and she glanced over her shoulder before hobbling over behind another gear.

Draal came rolling in, uncurling next to the gear she'd freed. He sniffed the air and growled, then started looking around.

"Do you really think you can beat me, eh?" he taunted. "I am Draal the Deadly! The son of Kanjigar! Rightful owner of the Amulet!"

She narrowed her eyes and watched him move close by, his back turning to her. Then, she looked down at the gear she hid behind. There was an opening in it, just big enough for her to crawl through.

Raising Daylight, she slashed again before dropping down.

Draal turned towards the sound, but she was already crawling through the opening. By the time he'd ducked down to peer through it, she was shimmying behind him.

Somewhere in the distance, Blinky was crying out in joy while her friends cheered.

Draal growled and spun around. She moved as fast as she could with a wounded side, barely able to keep up with his rotation.

"Where are you!" he roared.

She swallowed and lifted Daylight. The second to last gear as close by. However, if she hit it, it'd draw Draal's attention right to her.

If she was going to do this, then she needed an escape plan.

Draal turned a couple more times and she rotated with him, keeping herself hidden behind his back. Once or twice, he glanced over his shoulder, but she was just short enough to hide under his field of vision.

As he looked around for her, she looked around for something that'd get her out of her predicament. That came in the form of another gear; this one actually turning.

It was seated against the wall of the pit, rotating clockwise. If she could climb onto it and use it to elevate herself up onto the arena circuit…. That could work. But then there was the fourth gear she needed to release.

Claire darted her head from the gear against the pillar to the gear against the wall. She could throw her sword, but the chances that she'd slice it off were astronomical.

She shook her head. This wasn't a time to doubt.

"Don't think," she mumbled. "Become."

Drawing in a silent breath, she raised Daylight.

And then brought it down.

Her sword sliced through the metal easily, freeing the gear. She was off immediately, limping towards the turning gear against the wall.

Behind her, she heard Draal turn and gasp. Her hand grabbed one of the gear's teeth just as she heard a growl.

"Running away, Trollhunter?" he mocked.

She ignored him and climbed up onto the arena circuit. Then, turning around, she leveled narrowed eyes at him.

"It's called a tactical retreat," she said, glancing between him and the final gear.

"It's called cowardice!" he bellowed. "How can you be the Trollhunter? You're a man, not a troll!"

He bared his teeth and threw out his arms. "I am the son of Kanjigar!"

She narrowed her eyes and drew Daylight back.

"I am not a man!"

Taking aim, she swung her arm forward and threw her sword. It sailed through the air and Draal brought his arms up to defend himself, not knowing what her real target was.

Daylight shined with magic as it reached the hook holding the gear in place. Then, within the blink of an eye, the gear was free.

The effect was instantaneous. Draal gasped and turned from it to look at her. The platform fell. She stumbled back and tried summoning Daylight, hoping to press herself up against the arena wall.

A cry of defiance left Draal as he charged towards her, tucking into a roll about midway through his escape.

At the last second, she blinked and found the world still. The platform was a couple meters above the ground. Draal had jumped into the air, uncurled and reaching for her throat. Her sword was in her hand, but she'd lost her balance while backpedaling, putting her in the process of falling on her butt.

Then, with another blink, the platform came crashing down.

The resulting blast of air and dust sent her flying into the wall. The arena became silent, save for her coughing out the dust in her lungs. Debris rained down for a couple seconds before stopping.

The dust cleared several moments later, revealing Draal trapped between the edge of the arena circuit and the fallen, central platform.

A cheer rang out from the Forge's back entrance, sounding a lot like Mary. Glancing over, she found her Asian-American friend with her fists in the air and a grin on her face. Darci shared the same pose and look, as well as the same, exultant cheer.

Yet, as she looked over to Blinky and Aaarrrgghh, she saw them both frowning.

"Finish. The. Fight."

She looked up to the troll audience, watching them pump their fists expectantly.

"Finish. The. Fight."

"Rule number two," she whispered.

She pulled Daylight up to look at it. The awe and wonder of its glowing, blue blade was gone. She only saw the cold silver-steel and the reflection of a pale, frightened girl looking back.

"Finish. The. Fight."

"Do it."

Her eyes drifted to Draal, weak and beaten and trapped between the floor and platform.

"Finish the fight," he wheezed, dropping his head.

"Finish. The. Fight."

Her heart was beating against her chest, telling her to stop; telling her to find another way. Yet, as she looked around, she could find no escape; no solution. There was only her, Draal, and the end of a match to the death.

She grit her teeth and swallowed hard. Lifting Daylight up, she regarded the beaten son of Kanjigar with guilty eyes and brought her blade down.

It sunk between the ground and the platform, imbedding itself next to Draal.

The crowd went silent and Draal gave her a shocked look.

"Come on," she growled more to herself than to Draal. "Come on!"

She forced her weight down on the sword, trying to lift up the platform. It wouldn't budge, however, but neither did she.

"But the fight... is to the death," Draal breathed, watching her.

She stopping pushing down on the sword to look him in the eye. The hatred, arrogance, and sudden fear were all gone, replaced by shock.

"I don't care," she said.

She tried to lift the platform again, but still failed. So, breathing heavily and still feeling her side pulsating with pain, she reached out a hand.

Draal stared at it for the longest time, shock mixed with reluctance.

"Come on," she said. "I can't get you out alone."

He stared at it for another second, then reached out and grabbed it. She heard a hum from her armor and noticed its markings light up briefly. Strength flooded her again—not as much as before, but enough to help Draal pull himself out. Together, they fell onto the ground, with her on her back and him on his stomach.

It was then that they noticed the crowd booing at them. No longer were they cheering and roaring, but instead throwing their mugs or spilling their grog. She didn't need to read another lore book on trollish culture to recognize their disapproval.

"You should have killed me," Draal said beside her, head still bowed.

She spared him a sympathetic glance before she shook her head. "I don't do that."

Then, without hesitation, she stood up and walked to the center of the arena. The whole way, she wore a solemn face. What fear and anxiety she'd felt eating her from the inside out was no longer there. Instead, it was replaced by something resolute. Courage? Confidence? Valor?

Whatever it was, it compelled her to seek out the stage and stand tall before her audience.

Standing the spotlight, before the enraged denizens of Trollmarket, she raised her voice and declared, "I am Claire Nuñez, your Trollhunter, and I am not a killer!"

The crowd quieted for a brief second before erupting into a bigger uproar. Yet, she didn't falter.

"I don't take lives," she said, hand splayed over her chestplate, "and I refuse to compromise who I am just because your rules tell me to."

They didn't relent. If anything, they got angrier, judging by how many more mugs got thrown at her. None reached her, thankfully, so she kept going. "But that doesn't mean I won't do my duty. I will still protect you." She looked over to Draal. "All of you."

He looked up to her with wide, awed eyes.

Turning back to the crowd, she continued, "You might not like me, but you need a Trollhunter who can walk in the sunlight, because I'm the only one who can stop whoever is building Killahead Bridge."

The moment she mentioned that, the crowd went silent. Their infuriated ruckus disappeared, leaving the Forge ominously quiet. Even their scowls and glares were gone, replaced by gaping mouths and wide eyes.

"Killahead?"

Claire turned and looked at Draal. He stood on one knee, resting his weight on it. His face, however, had lost its exhausted look. Now, he wore an expression of shock and fear.

She opened her mouth to say yes, but a hand grabbed her wrist. She helped as Blinky pulled her out of the spotlight, dragging her over the land bridge.

She gave him a confused look. "Blinky, what-"

"No!" he snapped. "You've already said enough!"

The glare he shot at her shut her up immediately. So, instead of speaking, she looked back to find the masses in a frenzy. The denizens of Trollmarket were yelling and shouting, all the while, they threw their mugs and trash at a retreating Draal.

Before, she would've laughed and enjoyed the sight. Now… she couldn't believe it.

"What are they doing?" she asked. "Why are they throwing things at him?"

"You have beaten him," Blinky answered. "His honor is tarnished now. He can never show his face in Trollmarket again."

The shock showed on her face as she turned from him to Draal's back as he limped away, broken and beaten. Guilt ate away at her for a moment, but it was chased away when Darci and Mary jumped on her.

"Claire!"

"You did it!"

They squealed and hugged her tightly, crushing her between them. Not that she was complaining too much. Giggling and hugging them back to protest.

"Thanks, guys," she said, wearing a smile.

They chattered excitedly around her as they left the Forge, talking about how terrified they'd been when Draal had pinned her and how exuberant they'd been when she'd sent him into the air with a single punch. That last bit she was still confused about, but she just put it down as her Amulet doing its thing.

"Blinkous."

They stopped just outside the entrance to the Forge and turned around to find whoever had called Blinky. There, standing in the far back of the hall, was a silhouetted Vendel.

"A word," the troll elder drawled, tapping his staff on the ground.

Looking over to Blinky, she watched his expression of surprise shift into one of fear. Then, after a second of staring, he inched over towards Vendel, all the while giving them a nervous 'farewell'.

They watched both trolls disappear back towards the Forge, leaving them standing there speechless. One look at Aaarrrgghh found the gentle giant shrugging.

So, with a sigh, Claire turned her attention down the street and up towards Trollmarket's entrance. "Come on, guys. Let's go home."

* * *

"Ugh, why didn't I get Aaarrrgghh to give me a lift?"

Claire trudged down the sidewalk, one hand holding her purse, the other holding her side. Thanks to her injured sid, every step she took was slow and tentative, less she take a moment to stop and endure the pain. Hopefully, it wasn't anything serious, and if it was… well, maybe Blinky could whip some kind of troll healing rock or potion or something so she wouldn't need to visit the hospital—she thought she read that in one of his books.

"Alright," she breathed, standing on her front porch, "What's my cover story again? I had to help Mary with a project because it was due tomorrow?"

She scratched her head, then shrugged. Pulling out her house key, she unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

Then, taking in a deep breath to cool her nerves, she called out, "Mom! Papá! I'm home!"

A second passed. Then, another. A third one went by before she heard a reply from down the hall, "Come to the kitchen, Claire!"

She swallowed down her fear and strode down the hall. A giggle from her baby brother echoed from the kitchen, bouncing down the hallway and into her heart. An elated smile grew on her face and she savored Enrique's joyous giggling.

Her joy was short-lived, however, as she grew closer and closer to the kitchen. When she stood just around the corner, she took in a deep breath. "H-Hi, mom. Hi, pa-"

She stopped, suddenly aware of that there were more than three people in the room. While her parents stood behind the island counter and Enrique sat in his babyseat, her World History teacher and the curator from the Museum of Arcadia sat at the counter.

Mr. Strickler raised his cup of tea at her. "Ah, Miss Nuñez, I'm glad you could join us."

Beside him, Ms. Nomura smiled and sipped from her own cup.

"Mister Strickler and Miss Nomura came to tell us about the museum's reparations," her mom said, arms crossed.

"That is to say, that there are none," Ms. Nomura interjected, raising her cup. "The board has chosen to… look past the incident and extend a helping hand to you, Miss Nuñez. We understand being a teenager isn't easy."

She flushed red and shifted her feet nervously. Should she say thank you? Should she nod? She should probably keep eye contact with everyone.

Looking up, Claire met the four adults' gazes.

"Don't you have something to say to her, Claire?" her mom asked.

She rubbed her arm and focused her attention on Ms. Nomura. "Um… thank you, Miss Nomura."

The Asian-American woman smiled. "Oh, there's no need for that."

"Indeed," Mr. Strickler piped up. "I, myself, came to apologize to our parents, Claire. I believe I've failed in my teaching duties to notice your wandering off is, in fact, signs of your overwhelming workload."

Well… he wasn't wrong.

"That's alright, sir," she said sheepishly.

"Well, Claire shouldn't have much of a problem with that anymore," her mom spoke up. "We've taken her out of the play so she can focus on her studies."

That ugly feeling of hatred and anger twisted and turned in her stomach. She resisted the urge to glare or scowl as she held her gaze on the adults.

"And she is also supposed to wait for me to pick her up after school," her dad said, crossing his arms.

Her face lost its color and she swallowed. Was he actually going to do this? Right now? In front of Mr. Strickler and Ms. Nomura?

"Well, mija?"

"I… well… Mary… needed help with a project due tomorrow-"

"Ah, yes!" Mr. Strickler shot up. "The project. I'd forgotten that was due tomorrow."

She watched him speechlessly, unable to comprehend that her teacher was now covering for her. A glance to her parents saw them sharing a surprised look.

After taking a moment to find her voice, she said, "Y-Yeah, that one."

"It's good to hear that Miss Wang is seeking academic help," he remarked. "Though, it saddens me to hear that she did not ask me for help first."

"Well, I mean, she knows I'm an honor roll student, which practically everyone knows, but still…."

She smiled nervously and Mr. Strickler chuckled.

"That's quite alright, Claire," he said and stood up. "Well, I suppose it's time for us to leave. Miss Nomura?"

The museum curator stood and set down her cup of tea. With a smile, she said, "Thank you for the tea."

"Of course," Councilwoman Nuñez replied.

Mr. Strickler and Ms. Nomura made to leave, but stopped when Mr. Strickler squatted down to play with Enrique.

"What a delightful young lad," he cooed, waving a finger at her baby brother.

"He is pretty adorable," she remarked as he stood and walked past her.

"Indeed," Mr. Strickler said, "it'd be a shame if your extracurricular activities were to affect him in any way."

She froze, feeling a chill run down her spine. By the time she turned around, both adults had left through the front door.

* * *

 **Time to grab a Gaggle-tack, we got changelings running about.**

 **Next chapter will be fun.**

 **So, anyways, I hope you guys liked the fight.**

 **A couple of notes:  
-I was inspired by, of course, the canon Jim vs. Draal fight, as well as, the Thor vs. Hulk arena fight from Thor: Ragnarok.  
** **-One of the things that I found cool, but kinda weird in Part III of Trollhunters was that the Amulet suddenly gained the ability to empower Jim when he was angry. So, I decided to insert that in my story early.  
-I don't actually know how the machinery under the Forge works, so I made most of that up.**

 **Thanks for reading.**

 **Favorite and Follow to stay updated, and leave a Review if you'd like to share some ideas, positive comments, or constructive criticism.**

 **Ardently,  
Apex Primus**


	14. Author's Note

**Uh, hi everyone.**

 **Sorry, but this isn't an update. Well, it is, but not a new chapter.**

 **So, lots of apologies for not uploading for a while. By a while, I mean, like, a month or more.**

 **University has been kicking my butt, and work has been exhausting. I'm a writing major right now, looking to get into script/screenwriting, so I've got a lot of writing projects to work through. That usually distracts me from Claire the Kind, and even then, I've lost a bit of touch with my Trollhunters fanfic inspiration.**

 **I still kinda got it, but I've slowed down a lot.**

 **So, I guess the bottom line is, is that I'm probably going to put the fanfic on the back burner while I deal with life. But I'm keeping it on low simmer because I'll be working on it every now and then, when I've got time.**

 **Hopefully, I'll get the next chapter done within a couple of weeks. If not... uh, sorry. I just got a lot going on.**

 **Thanks for putting up with this Author's Note, and I hope you guys have a great time.**

 **BTWubs, if you haven't, check out the Dragon Prince on Netflix. Great show.**

 **Ardently,  
Apex Primus**


	15. Hey, it's an update

Hiya there, readers.

It's, uh, it's been a while, huh? Like, two years... damn.

Uh, so, this isn't a real chapter or nothing, I just wanted to post something to let you guys know what's up. I know I promised I'd churn out the next chapter, but... I don't know. I don't have a real answer for you guys besides I just lost interest in the story. I mean, I have a ton of enthusiasm still, but something about Trollhunters Part III just... it didn't rub me right. I got disinterested with the ending and felt like my story wasn't going to lead anywhere. I have a rough draft of what the next chapter is going to be and the roadmap of the kind of content I want to pump out for you guys is going to look like, but the parts in between the major plot points are what bog me down.

All in all, I feel like my only real solution is to ask whether you guys are okay with me rewriting the story. I know it's such an a-hole thing to do and I don't want to be a massive jerk and have you guys re-read your way through it all again, but I've learned a lot about storytelling since I started this fanfic. Between subplots, character development, how to actually write a slowburn, etc. So, at this point, I feel like I could do a better job at remaking all of this.

Additionally, now that 3 Below is now finished, I can add that into the final act of my story, meshing that show's storyline with this one's since they run parallel for the most part.

Anyways, leave me your thoughts, comments, reviews, or whatever the heck kind of thing you'd like. I'll be seeing you guys around.

(P.S.- I somehow garnered an Miraculous Ladybug following on Tumblr. Don't ask me now, but if you're a fan of MLB, look for me on there.)


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